


Give Me A Chance

by Night_the_Dragon



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Cat/Human Hybrids, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Light Angst, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-21 00:28:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Night_the_Dragon/pseuds/Night_the_Dragon
Summary: In a world of nekos where Neku feels alone, despite having his brother by his side. It's only when he meets Roxas, a new kid who recently moved to Destiny Islands, that he realizes he's not as alone as he thought.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm working on this one still, but I'll have up to chapter 5 posted today, MAYBE 6. Writing's been slow lately since I've been having MAJOR writer's block, but my birthday's in two days, so I can't guarantee swift posting before then. Enjoy~

“Neku? Neku, time to get up,” my brother’s voice said as he gently shook my shoulder to wake me. I groaned as I began to wake up, just wanting another four hours of sleep. “Come on, Neku, you can’t be late on your first day back to school.”

“…Do I have to get up?” I grumbled, my back still to him as my ears flattened against my head.

“Yes, or else you’ll get in trouble. Now come on, I made breakfast already, so get dressed and eat before it gets cold,” he ordered, and pulled the blanket off of me before leaving. Sighing heavily, I sat up with a yawn, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Damn, I hate school. I’d drop out if it wasn’t for my older brother, Joshua, but he wants me to get my education, so I’m kinda forced into going. I got dressed in my usual attire of silvery white cargo shorts, and a sleeveless purple and black high-collared shirt. I even slipped my purple headphones around my neck with my mp3. Sure, I couldn’t really wear them on my head, but I could still hear my music with my sensitive hearing. I put on my socks and grabbed my book bag, cell phone, and house key as well before heading downstairs to grab my breakfast Joshua had made. It was one of my favorites, chocolate chip pancakes with some bacon on the side.

“Thanks, Josh!” I yelled, and I heard his muffled reply called back to me from the bathroom upstairs, where I assumed he was taking a shower. Listening carefully, I could hear the sound of running water, confirming my suspicion. I ate my warm breakfast, smiling slightly at the fact that Joshua always knew how to cheer me up or lift my spirits on bad days or on days he knew weren’t the best for me. After all, we were pretty much alone out here on Destiny Islands. Sure, our aunts and uncle were in the next town over, but it was a long drive, and we couldn’t always make it.

“Almost ready?” the silverette asked as he came downstairs, fixing up his shirt and brushing his hair out. His matching ears flicked with each run the brush made through his hair, but he stopped when I nodded, getting up and putting my empty plate in the dishwasher.

“Yeah, just let me get my shoes on,” I said. After I pulled on my shoes, Joshua grabbed his wallet and car keys before heading out to his silver 2013 Honda Civic LX. I followed him out, putting my phone on silent once I was seated in the passenger seat. We buckled ourselves in, and then Joshua opened the garage door and started up the car, backing out and heading off to Destiny Islands High.

“Now, I won’t be able to pick you up, seeing as Sanae needs me to stay late at the café this afternoon, but I will be home to make dinner,” he told me. “Sorry, Neku…”

“Don’t worry about it,” I shrugged. “I’ll be fine.”

“All right, but just remember to call if you need me, okay?” he reminded me.

“I will,” I mumbled, and he ruffled my hair and ears playfully. “Hey!” I yelped, swatting his hand away. He giggled, and then we arrived in front of the school.

“Here we are. I’ll see you tonight, Neku,” my brother smiled at me, and I nodded.

“See you later, Josh,” I sighed, and got out of the car, slipping my book bag onto my shoulder as I went. Once I shut the door, the silverette waved to me before driving off, and I shoved my hands into my pockets and went to my first class, Environmental Science. I had gotten my schedule in the mail a few days prior, which helped. As soon as I was in the classroom, I took a seat in the back, pulled out my sketchbook, and resumed my work on a drawing I had been working on over the summer. The bell rang after ten minutes, and everyone quickly filed into the classroom. Soon after, the environmental science teacher, Marluxia, showed up, and he was followed by Aerith, the school’s receptionist, and a kid with blonde spiky hair and matching ears and tail.

“Everyone, this is Roxas Fair, and he’s new here. Please be nice to him, all right?” Aerith announced, and everyone nodded. “Neku Sakuraba?” she called out, and I raised my hand, surprised she called my name. “You’ll be Roxas’s guide around the school, since you two just so happen to have the same schedule.” I nodded with a sigh, not looking forward to being followed by a newbie. “Go ahead and sit with Neku, then, okay Roxas?”

“Thank you, Aerith,” he smiled at her, and then joined me, taking the seat next to me in the back. Aerith left after that, and then Marluxia took roll, not bothering to call Roxas or me, seeing as he already knew we were here. The pink haired teacher droned on and on about the class, and when the bell rang, I gathered up my things. Roxas joined me, and I sighed at the inevitable, knowing we would have to talk eventually.

“Hi Neku, it’s nice to meet you,” he greeted, and I turned to him.

“Sure,” I muttered, noticing his ears lower slightly and his ocean blue eyes become slightly downcast. Glancing at my schedule, I saw we had Psychology next, making me cringe internally. Ansem is such a hard ass in psychology, I’ve heard. “Come on, we need to get to psychology now, or else Ansem will rip us a new one if we’re late, even if you’re new.”

“Okay, then you lead,” he smiled, his tail waving with content. I led him through the halls, making sure he stuck close as we weaved through the crowds of students. When we got to the classroom, I took the seat in the back again, this time by the window. The Chemistry room doesn’t have a window, which sucks. Roxas sat in the seat next to mine, and I felt his gaze on me when I pulled out my sketchbook. As I tried to work on my drawing, he continued to watch me, and eventually, I had enough.

“What are you staring at?” I huffed, but then the bell rang, and I slipped out a piece of paper to pass a note with. Roxas had just enough time to answer before Ansem walked in.

“I was just watching you draw… You’re a really great artist,” he replied shyly, lowering his ears as he blushed in embarrassment. I blinked in surprise, and I felt a bit guilty at that. I quickly scribbled out a short note to him, and when Ansem wasn’t looking, I passed it to the blonde. My note read, ‘We’ll talk more during our free period. Don’t reply back, or else we’ll get caught.’ Roxas nodded minutely, and I pretended to take notes during class until the bell rang. When class was over, I hitched my book bag on my shoulder and waited for my companion to finish packing his own things. “What’s our next class?” he asked while slipping his own book bag on his shoulder.

“Looks like we have…Language Arts,” I answered, and then started to guide him to the classroom, which was, unfortunately, on the third floor. By the time we got there, Roxas was breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. “You gonna make it? Don’t keel over on me now.”

“I’m…fine, just need…to catch…my breath,” he wheezed, and I rolled my eyes before helping him into the classroom.

“Get used to it, or else you’re screwed for the year,” I warned him, and then Tifa, our teacher for the class, walked in as I got Roxas settled in the back next to my desk. I even gave him my water bottle, which I was gonna drink on the way home, but never mind that plan now…

“Thanks,” he told me gratefully, taking a drink. Tifa noticed me helping him, and gave me a pleased smile, but I ignored her in favor of sitting down at my desk. She took roll, and then began to lecture. Roxas jumped right in, taking notes eagerly, but I had no need to take notes. I was good with any homework I was dished in this class. Had been for the past few years. I merely chose to continue my drawing instead, which was starting to turn out quite nicely, I had to admit. A few more details and it should be ready for coloring. I was working on a dragon in a feline-like pose, with an elegantly long neck, slender body, slightly defined muscles in the legs, large wings folded against its back, and a whip-like tail. The eyes and scars were what I was focusing on at the moment, and I just needed to finish the final details here and there, and then I could fill in the colors. Suddenly, the bell rang, and Roxas and I had our free period before lunch. I got up with a small grunt, and the blonde quickly packed up his own things before following me down to the cafeteria, where we could wait until lunch. I sat down, setting my book bag on the table we had taken in the corner, and Roxas sat across from me, a small smile on his face.

“So, you said we were going to talk?” he reminded me, and I sighed, my ears folding back again.

“Yeah, whatever,” I muttered. “Why’d you say you liked my drawing? Normally anyone besides my brother laughs at me for them. Are you just trying to suck up?”

“No! I honestly feel that way!” he yelped, his ears quickly perking up. “I’ve never seen anyone draw that amazing. I like to give credit where credit is due.”

“Really now?” I said, quirking a brow. “How well do you draw?”

“Like shit, to be honest,” he admitted with a small laugh.

“And you’re in an advanced art class, why?” I smirked.

“I paint better than I draw!” the blonde huffed, pouting.

“We’ll see how well you handle me, then,” I chuckled, my tail waving with content. Roxas continued to try and tell me how good he was until the bell rang, and then we gathered our things so they wouldn’t get stolen while we grabbed some lunch. The friendly blonde wasn’t getting on my nerves as much anymore, surprisingly, but I was waiting to see how long it lasted. Usually everyone gets on my nerves after a while. Once we got our lunches, each of us ending up with a slice of pizza and a soda, we managed to grab the table we were at earlier, and ate in silence. As we ate, I realized I kind of sympathized with the guy. I know how it feels to be alone, and I decided I wouldn’t let him suffer my fate. Besides, there’s safety in numbers when it comes to the school bully, Seifer, and his little group.

“Well, well, well. Looks like the ginger weirdo has a new pal.” Speak of the devil.

“Back off, Seifer,” I warned, setting down my soda as I got up. Roxas watched the exchange warily, setting down his drink, too. “Do you want another ass kicking? ‘Cause you know I’ll be more than happy to deliver.”

“You little rat! You know the last time was a fluke!” he spat.

“Yeah, sure,” I scoffed, remaining on my guard. “Just back down, Seifer, or you’re going down. Again.”

“Why you little—!” he snapped, and lunged at me. I swiftly twisted to the side so he missed, and slammed my elbow into his back, making him cry out in pain. I then swung my leg up so my foot smashed into his face, and he yelled as he clutched his bleeding nose.

“Now would be a good time to listen, Seifer. Back. Off,” I growled, and he glared at me furiously before dashing off. Once he was gone, I sighed in relief. “Geez, he’s such a dickwad.”

“Who was that?” Roxas asked as I sat back down.

“Seifer. He’s the school bully, but only for this next year, seeing as he’s a senior. After this, he’ll finally be gone,” I explained. “We’re just lucky Rai and Fuu weren’t here, or I may have had a bit of trouble.” At his confused look, I added, “They’re his flunkies.”

“Ah, gotcha,” he nodded. “But why does he pick on you?”

“They did for the past two years until my brother had our uncle help teach me how to fight,” I said. “They knew I was weak, so they took advantage of it. My brother got tired of seeing me come home covered in bruises, so he asked our uncle to help out and teach me.”

“Damn, that’s pretty cool!” the blonde grinned. Suddenly, the warning bell to get to class sounded, and I sighed.

“We’d better get moving,” I warned him, slipping my bag onto my shoulder. “We’ve got art now, so that won’t be too bad. But we’ve got to hurry, or else we’ll lose the spot in the back. Naminé is usually pretty lenient to stragglers, but not if there’s too many.” We left for class, and Naminé was already there, setting up art supplies.

“Hello, Neku,” she greeted. Out of all the teachers, Naminé was the only one I preferred since she was so patient, even with my bad attitude and typically anti-social nature. “Who’s this?” She gestured to Roxas, her ears and tail showing how relaxed she was.

“I’m Roxas, and I moved here during the end of summer from Twilight Town,” he smiled. “Neku’s my guide.”

“I see,” she nodded. “Well, Roxas, what do you typically do for art?”

“I stink at drawing, but I paint really well,” he told her, his voice soft as his ears flattened out to the sides.

“Don’t worry, Roxas, I don’t judge anyone on their work unless they make something inappropriate,” she assured him. “Go ahead and take your seats, and then you can start making something. This week’s theme is passions, so whatever you’re passionate about, you can make something related to it.” We nodded in understanding and headed to the table I usually sat at, and then got some supplies to start painting with. I already had an idea forming in my mind as I grabbed the paint colors I needed.

“Wanna see who can paint better?” I smirked at him, and he grinned.

“Sure, I’ll beat you easily,” he chuckled. We then began to paint, and my brush made smooth strokes over the paper as what I’m passionate about began to take shape. I even played my music, which Naminé allowed because she knew how much it helped me to focus. Eventually, I finished the lines, so now I had to fill in the color. I used a different brush for each color, lest I accidentally mix the colors I didn’t want to, and five minutes before the bell rang, I was finished. Setting my last brush down and stopping my music, I clasped my hands behind my back and raised them until my shoulder popped audibly. Roxas cringed slightly at the sound.

“How can you do that? Doesn’t it hurt?” he asked, quirking a brow at me.

“No, it actually feels good,” I replied. Naminé came over to look at our paintings, and she smiled brightly.

“Amazing as always, Neku,” she praised. “Music and art are your passions, of course, as well as dragons, so your painting makes sense.” My painting consisted of a variety of musical notes scattered about on the large paper, paintbrushes, pencils, splashes of different colors of ink, colored pencils, and even a set of reptilian eyes in the center that reflected intelligence, which were actually dragon eyes.

“Thanks,” I murmured. The petite blonde neko then turned to Roxas’s painting, and even I was impressed at the result.

“Very nice, Roxas! I love how you were able to make a typewriter appear so elegant,” she told him. “Typically they appear clunky and bulky, but you changed that appearance in this. And how you added in the sofa, which must represent psychology, correct?”

“Yes, I love studying the mind,” Roxas admitted, blushing lightly. “That’s also why I have the swirls in there, to represent the mystery of the mind.”

“Well, I think both paintings are equally amazing,” she said. Roxas and I looked at each other, and he smirked. I rolled my eyes at him, and then we cleaned up. As soon as we were done, the bell rang, and we grabbed our stuff. “See you boys tomorrow!” Naminé called after us as we ran out into the hallway. We waved back to her before bolting. Next class was math, and I was dreading it. Sho, the only math teacher for the juniors, was apparently obsessed with numbers, and I’d heard he liked to play with his calculator rather than his phone. I’m just lucky to be good with numbers. We hurried into the classroom, right before the bell rang, and quickly took our seats in the back. Sho walked in, and everyone fell silent.

“Hello, radians,” he smirked evilly. He passed out the attendance sheet instead of calling roll, and then proceeded to lecture and write notes on the board. Roxas wrote quickly in his notebook, and I just doodled in mine. At the end of class, Sho dished out three pages of homework in the book, and everyone groaned, including me. Sho barked at us to shut our mouths, or else he’d give us more, so everyone silenced themselves. Then the bell rang, and Roxas and I were free to go, seeing as we had no seventh period class. When we got outside, I stretched my arms and yawned, tired from the long day.

“Well, I guess we’re done for the day,” I commented.

“Yeah, I’d better head home,” Roxas murmured. He then perked up. “Hey, where do you live? Maybe we can walk together?”

“Not too far from here,” I replied. “Near the shopping plaza, actually.”

“Hey, I live near there, too!” the blonde grinned. “About a minute’s walk from the entrance!”

“Say what now?” I frowned, confused. “I live in that area, too, but I never heard anyone move in or anything…”

“Huh,” Roxas uttered. “That **is** weird.”

“Well, I guess we’re walking together, then,” I shrugged. As we walked, I started up my music again, and let my thoughts wander. Roxas wasn’t too bad of a guy, and maybe we could be friends. Just not so soon. I’ll give it some time, and see how things go. Finally, we reached our street, and I started to split off.

“See you tomorrow, Neku?” my companion asked, and I paused.

“Sure, whatever,” I muttered, and glanced back at him, noticing his ears were lowered in slight disappointment. “Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow, Roxas.” He immediately brightened, a smile forming on his face.

“Awesome, see you tomorrow in class, Neku!” he called, and ran off into the small house at the beginning of the street. There was a black motorcycle with flames on it and a red Honda Ridgeline parked in the driveway, and the house was quiet. I shrugged to myself, and then continued to walk to my house. I wasn’t surprised to find Joshua wasn’t back yet, but whatever. Once inside, I pulled out my phone and switched it to sound, and then sent my brother a quick text, letting him know I got home safely. When I got into the kitchen to try and find something to eat, my phone beeped, and I flipped it open to see Joshua had texted me back.

‘Perfect timing, I’m just about to leave. Business was slow today, so I’m off early! :)’ he had sent me.

‘Sounds good. See you soon,’ I texted him back before snapping it closed. After some digging around in the cabinets, I found some chips, so I filled a small bowl with them and began to eat once I turned on the TV and was seated on the couch. Soon after I’d finished my chips, the garage door opened, and once it was closed, Joshua walked in.

“Hey Josh,” I called to him, and he came over and ruffled my hair and ears. I swatted his hand away irritably.

“Someone’s in a bad mood,” he snickered.

“Knock it off, would ya?” I grumbled, my ears folding back.

“How was your day, Neku?” the silverette inquired, appearing genuinely interested as he sat down next to me with his tail curling around him. He muted the TV as an afterthought.

“Not bad,” I shrugged. “Got assigned to escort a newbie around today, and Seifer tried to pick a fight, but I kicked his ass like last time.”

“Who’s this newbie? Surely he or she has a name,” my brother asked, folding one ear back.

“His name’s Roxas Fair,” I answered. “To be completely honest, he’s not too annoying, unlike everyone else. He actually praised my artwork.”

“Really?” Joshua smiled. “That’s a first. Typically everyone but Sanae and I scorn you for it.”

“Don’t remind me,” I muttered, and then I remembered something. “Oh yeah, he lives practically just up the street. Did you know anything about new neighbors over the break? Because he said he moved here towards the end of the summer.”

“No, nothing.” He shook his head. “They may have done an overnight move-in.”

“Weird,” I said.

“So Seifer tried to start something again?” he asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah, I was just lucky Rai and Fuu weren’t there while I was with Roxas. Things might have turned ugly,” I told him. “Bashed his face in, though.”

“Nice! Well, be sure to thank Beat next time we see him, okay? Besides, I’m sure he’d love to hear that,” Joshua laughed.

“I’m sure he would,” I chuckled.

“So, any homework tonight?”

“Yeah, just some math.”

“Then get to it. I’ll get dinner going, and you’ll be in bed early so you’re not so groggy tomorrow. Don’t think I didn’t notice how late you were up last night,” he smirked, wagging his finger at me.

“Fine,” I groaned, and got up from the couch. “I hate math, even if I **am** good with numbers.”

“At least you’ll be done quickly,” my brother pointed out. I shrugged, but snagged my bag and went to my room to do my homework. I got a text once I sat on my bed, and I flipped my phone open.

‘Does ramen sound okay?’

‘Sure, you know I love it.’

‘All right, good. Get to work, and I’ll be done soon.’

‘Thanks, Josh.’

‘Anytime, Neku.’ With that taken care of, I started my math homework, and soon after finishing, my phone went off again. I’d only been up here for an hour, and it normally takes Joshua longer to make ramen, but then I realized it was ringing.

“Hello?” I answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.

“Yo, what’s up, Neku?” my uncle’s voice greeted happily on the other end. “Joshua told me about you beating the crap out of that Seifer kid again!”

“Yeah, I did. I nailed him in the back with my elbow and smashed my foot into his face,” I smirked, making him laugh.

“Good to know all of our hard work paid off!” he chuckled. “What brought it on, yo?”

“Oh, you know, the usual. This time he thought it was a fluke that I beat him last year, though,” I explained.

“That’s fucking funny, yo!” Beat cackled, but then there was a sudden shout on his end. “What? It’s not he hasn’t heard the word before!”

“That doesn’t matter, Beat!” my aunt Shiki’s voice snapped. “I didn’t marry a man who swears like a sailor!”

“Geez, sorry,” he muttered to her, and then returned to his call with me. “Sorry about that, Neku.”

“No worries, I’ve heard it before,” I smirked.

“That’s what I thought!” he exclaimed. “Well, I’ll let ya go, kid. Keep me posted on that Seifer punk, a’ight?”

“I will, Uncle Beat,” I smiled slightly. “Talk to you later.”

“See ya, Neku,” he said happily, and then I hung up. Then I got a text from Joshua, saying dinner was ready. I slid off my bed and went downstairs, where my brother gave me a knowing look as I sat at the table.

“Beat called, didn’t he?” he assumed.

“Yeah, and he said you told him about Seifer,” I replied. “I told him what happened, and he laughed.”

“Well, remember not to abuse that power,” he reminded me as he handed me a bowl of fresh ramen.

“Hey, I was once a victim, so I’m not gonna make another person feel the way I did,” I muttered. Joshua nodded in approval, and then sat across from me. We ate in a comfortable silence, which was normal for us, until Joshua spoke up.

“Neku?”

“Yeah?” I said after swallowing a bite of noodles.

“I hate doing this to you, but would be mad at me if I had you walk to school tomorrow? I’m going to the shelter early tomorrow morning so I can meet with someone, and then I have to go to work…” he explained, lowering his gaze and ears.

“Don’t worry about it,” I told him. “I’ll be fine. It’s not too bad of a walk unless it’s raining, which it shouldn’t be tomorrow.”

“All right, as long as you’re not mad,” he murmured.

“Nah, why would I be? I don’t expect you to drive me every day,” I shrugged.

“Thanks, Neku,” he smiled, and then stood, his bowl empty. He then glanced at the clock. “Well, then we’d better get to bed. You need to be up early so you can make it to school on time.”

“Fine…” I sighed, and finished my dinner before placing my bowl in the dishwasher. After we checked that all the windows and doors were locked, we went upstairs, where we split off to our own bedrooms.

“Goodnight, Neku,” my brother called to me from his room.

“Night, Josh!” I yelled back, and then I undressed to my dark blue boxers and slipped on a blood red t-shirt before crawling under my blanket and going to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a two-day school week, just so you know, as high school started like that for me when I was in there. THANK GOD I'M NO LONGER THERE. Enjoy~

My alarm went off the next morning, making me growl in annoyance before I slammed my fist on the off button. Gods I hate mornings… Sighing heavily, I sat up and pulled the blanket away from me, shivering at the morning chill. I gave a yawn as I stretched my arms over my head, popping my back in a couple spots, and then slid off the mattress before heading to the bathroom. Once I relieved myself, I went back to my room and started to get dressed. Same outfit as usual, but I’m not a big fashion guy, so I don’t care. Once dressed, I went downstairs and saw that Joshua had already left. He had left the kitchen light on, and there was a note on the coffee pot, which is what we usually do when we can’t or don’t want to text each other. I read it to myself once I got close enough to see it.

‘Neku –

I’ll be back later tonight, and we’re definitely having pizza for our usual Friday dinner. I’ll make sure to bring some home. We’ll share a pepperoni, if that’s okay. See you this evening, Neku!

– Joshua’

I sighed with a slight smile when I finished; he’ll be home either earlier than what he’s claiming, or he’ll be home later, but either way, there’s gonna be pizza. Glancing at the clock, I realized I needed to leave soon, so I snagged a breakfast bar and bottled water before grabbing my things, slipping on my shoes, and running out the door, taking a moment to lock it behind me. As I turned to walk to school, however, I was surprised to hear a familiar voice.

“Neku! Wait up!” the voice called. I turned back to see a familiar blonde hurrying over to me. He skidded to a stop in front of me, his ears up and alert, and his tail waving happily. “I thought we could walk together this morning, seeing as we’re in the same classes and we live so close and all…”

“Sure,” I shrugged, and began the trek to school. Roxas was quick to follow, keeping pace with me with ease. I pulled out my breakfast bar and began to munch on it as we walked.

“So, how are you this morning?” he asked, attempting to make conversation.

“Tired, but okay,” I answered after swallowing. “You?”

“I’m great! I got to talk to my uncle Leon last night about my day yesterday,” he smiled brightly.

“So I take it he doesn’t live here?” I guessed, taking another bite.

“No, he lives in Hollow Bastion, but we still talk often,” he replied. “He actually wanted me to thank you for making sure Seifer didn’t beat either of us up yesterday. And I want to thank you, too.”

“No problem, I was once one of their victims, so I won’t just stand by and let someone else suffer like I did for the past couple years,” I told him honestly. “Besides, he can be my punching bag whenever he pisses me off now, too.” He laughed at that, and the sound actually didn’t make my ears hurt like most people’s laughs do. It was a very pleasant sound. Kinda music to my ears, actually.

“That’s funny!” he chuckled as he sobered up. “And you said your brother and uncle taught you how to fight like that?”

“No, just my uncle. My brother was just tired of seeing me come home almost daily with bruises,” I corrected him. That’s when I remembered what Joshua’s theory was about when Roxas moved in. “Hey, did you move in overnight or something? My brother thought you might have, considering we never heard anything.”

“Yeah, we arrived with a moving truck late at night and just unloaded everything before leaving early to drop off the truck,” he told me. “And then my godfather bought the truck before it could rain so we wouldn’t have to worry about the motorcycle when it rains.”

“Your godfather?” I frowned, puzzled. I knew what a godfather was, and how people ended up living with one, but what happened to Roxas’s parents if he’s with his godfather?

“Yeah, his name’s Axel,” the blonde smiled, his ears perking up eagerly. “He’s a really nice guy, and he’s got really spiky red hair. And when I say red, I mean like fire engine red. Anyway, he’s the best. He always helps me when I need it, and he takes great care of me.”

“Cool,” I murmured, smiling slightly at his excitement. “But what happened to your parents?”

“…I’d rather not say just yet…” he sighed as his ears went back, and I mentally slapped myself. I don’t like when people ask me what happened to my parents, so why would anyone else? Now I feel like an asshole.

“Sorry…” I apologized, but Roxas shook his head.

“You don’t need to apologize,” he assured me. “After all, it’s not your fault they’re gone.”

“Still…” I mumbled.

“Like I said, don’t worry about it, Neku,” he smiled at me, his ears perking up again. “It’s okay, I promise.”

“All right,” I conceded, my own ears relaxing, and then decided to change the subject. “Did you finish the homework last night? It’s due today.”

“Yeah, but I had a hard time with it,” he admitted, his ears flattening out to the sides.

“I can help you,” I offered. “I tend to be good with numbers.”

“That would be great!” Roxas grinned, and I ruffled his hair and ears playfully. The blonde gave an indignant squawk and swatted my hand away. “Hey!”

“Couldn’t resist,” I chuckled. It was as we arrived at the school during our chat that I realized I should give him a chance and that we were definitely gonna be good friends.

 

X*X(Lunch)X*X

Roxas and I were at the same lunch table as yesterday, and we were laughing about something stupid when my ears perked up as I heard the unpleasant sound of Rai’s guffaws as he followed Seifer over with Fuu. My tail fluffed up a bit with slight nervousness, and I glared at them, seeing Seifer approach cockily with his lackeys. Roxas looked in the direction I was glaring at, and his ears flattened with worry. He set down his food as he quickly packed up his things to make a quick getaway if need be. I did the same, but at a slower pace.

“Why’s he coming over here?” he whispered.

“Revenge, and he’s got Rai and Fuu with him this time,” I growled. The trio walked over, and Seifer smirked at me, making my glare intensify.

“Looks like you won’t be able to take me on this time, ginger freak,” he grinned maliciously.

“We’ll see about that,” I spat, getting up from my seat. My biggest issue would be Rai, seeing as he’s so thick-headed that he doesn’t go down easily. Suddenly, Rai swung at me with a growl, and knowing I wouldn’t have a chance at blocking it, I ducked and swung my fist as hard as I could into his gut. He yelled in pain as he staggered back, and then Seifer lunged at me like before, his ears flat against his head and tail fluffed out. Swiftly, I grabbed him by his biceps, blocking him, and threw him into the hard floor of the cafeteria. The adrenaline pumped through my body as I watched carefully, on the defensive. My blue eyes widened in horror as I noticed Fuu slipping over behind Roxas, but before I could warn the blonde, she grabbed him, pinning his arms behind his back. She twisted her wrist slightly, wrenching his right arm, and he gave a pained cry.

“Give in,” she ordered with a vicious smirk.

“Let him go first,” I snarled. She hesitated, but with a glance at Seifer, who nodded, she pushed him away. Roxas quickly grabbed his bag and stood off to the side, out of harm’s way, as she swung at me with a powerful left hook. With a grunt, I caught her fist and squeezed tightly, feeling her knuckles dent beneath my fingers. She screamed, and I shoved her to the floor. Rai charged at me again, but I jumped up and over, kicking him in the back as he passed, and he bellowed angrily before he and Seifer, who was back on his feet by now, began to swing at me repeatedly. I bobbed and weaved, and then lashed out with my legs, sweeping their feet out from under them. The pair fell to the floor with yelps, so I kicked them in their sides to end the fight. The trio quickly scrambled away, and I glared heavily after them as they fled.

“Now you know, don’t fuck with me or Roxas!” I shouted after them. Once they were out of sight, I took a deep breath to calm myself. Roxas approached me, and I turned to see him holding his right arm from the pain Fuu had caused. “Are you okay?” I asked, concerned.

“Yeah, but my arm hurts,” he mumbled.

“Let’s go see Aerith. She’ll be able to help,” I said, and he nodded. With that said, I grabbed my messenger bag and we left to the office, where Yuffie, the other receptionist for the school, greeted us.

“Hi Neku! How are you…” she trailed off, and then noticed Roxas clutching his injured arm. “What happened?”

“Seifer and his little gang,” I spat, and she nodded. “Fuu twisted his arm, I think.”

“Good grief! Well, let’s get him to Aerith, and I’ll go let Zexion know,” she told me, and led us to Aerith’s office.

“Hello, Roxas, Neku,” the kind brunette smiled warmly at us when we entered. When she noticed Roxas holding his arm, she frowned and her ears flattened out to the sides. “What happened?”

“Fuu twisted his arm during a fight,” I told her briefly as Yuffie went to go speak to Zexion, our principal.

“That girl never learns,” Aerith sighed. She had Roxas sit on the bench, where she carefully checked his arm over while I waited patiently. As she looked him over, Zexion entered the room with Yuffie right behind him.

“So, Seifer’s group again?” the slate-haired neko sighed.

“Yeah, he picked a fight with us, and I was defending myself,” I nodded. “Fuu tried to use Roxas as a hostage, and I kinda tricked them into letting him go, but she twisted his arm beforehand. I ended the fight, and they ran.”

“Well, Sakuraba, since it was self-defense, I won’t punish you this time,” Zexion assured me. “But try not to do it again, okay? Only if they do harm, then you can fight back.”

“Yes sir,” I muttered, my ears lowering slightly.

“What’s the damage, Aerith?” he asked her, and she pricked her ears up before looking at him.

“It looks to me like he’ll need some ibuprofen to decrease the pain, but otherwise, he’ll be okay,” she announced, and Zexion nodded.

“As long as there’s no major damage,” he murmured. “Will you be okay for the rest of your classes, Roxas?”

“I’m not sure…” he admitted. “Will I be in trouble if I go home?”

“Not at all. Would you like us to call your guardian for a ride?” the principal asked.

“I can walk him home. We live on the same street,” I offered.

“Are you sure?” Roxas questioned.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’ll be excused from classes, too, right?”

“Of course,” Aerith smiled. She then gave Roxas some ibuprofen, and he quickly downed the two pills with a drink of water. “Have a good weekend, then, boys. And Roxas, take it easy, okay?”

“Thank you, Aerith,” we told her.

“And don’t worry about Seifer, Rai, and Fuu. I’ll have them punished for this,” Zexion assured us.

“See you guys next week!” Yuffie grinned, waving. Roxas waved with his good hand while I grabbed his bag for him. As we began the walk to our homes, Roxas spoke up, his ears back slightly.

“Hey, Neku?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind staying at my place for a bit? At least until Axel gets home,” he asked. “I want you to meet him, especially since you protected me today.”

“Um, sure, I guess,” I shrugged, my ears flicking once. “I’ll just need to let my brother know, or else he’ll be worried if he comes home and I’m not there.”

“Okay, no problem,” he nodded, and I pulled out my phone to text him, seeing as I knew he wouldn’t be able to answer his phone while at work.

‘Hey Josh, I’m hanging out with Roxas at his place until his godfather gets home, since he got hurt during another Seifer fight today. I’ll come home when you’re almost home, just let me know when you’re almost there.’ I sent the text, and soon after, I got a reply back.

‘No problem. It’s slow today, so I might be home early, but I’ll still bring pizza home like I said in my note this morning.’

‘Cool. Thnx Josh, and I’ll see you later.’ I didn’t get a response after that, and I glanced at Roxas.

“What did he say?” the blonde inquired.

“He’s cool with it,” I answered, and the blonde’s ears perked up. “He said it’s slow at work anyway, so he might be home early, too.”

“Where does he work?”

“At the WildKat café. The cool part is that he usually comes home on Fridays and Saturdays with some leftover pastries that are past their expiration.”

“Really? I’ve never heard of the place.”

“Not many do unless they’ve lived here long enough, or they were born and raised here. But the coffee’s good, and the owner, Mr. Hanekoma, is nice. Everyone except Joshua calls him Mr. H.”

“Is Joshua your brother?”

“Yeah, he’s a great guy. Always supportive,” I smiled slightly. “I’m grateful to have him in my life.”

“That’s awesome,” Roxas nodded. “I don’t have any siblings myself, but I have a cousin, and he kinda looks like me. His name is Sora, and he’s my Uncle Leon’s son.”

“Huh,” I uttered.

“Do you have any cousins, Neku?”

“Nah, my aunt and uncle haven’t started a family yet. But Josh and I have placed bets on when they’ll announce a pregnancy,” I smirked. We rounded the corner to our street, and then walked up Roxas’s driveway.

“Maybe we can fix some popcorn and watch a movie until Axel gets back,” he suggested.

“Sounds good,” I agreed as he unlocked the front door. Once inside, I looked around, my ears twitching a bit as I studied the interior. It was a nice place; the walls were painted a light sky blue color, the floors were a plush white carpet beyond the entryway, and there were a few framed pictures here and there on the walls. I copied Roxas, kicking off my shoes by the closet in the hall, and set our bags down next to our shoes.

“Axel should be home in a couple of hours, especially seeing as Fridays are his short days,” Roxas told me as he pulled out a bag of popcorn and put it in the microwave once we were in the kitchen. “He always makes sure he’s off for the weekend so he can spend time with me.”

“Same with Josh,” I said. “He hates when he thinks I’m lonely.”

“That’s how Axel is, too,” Roxas chuckled. “So, what movie do you want to watch? I’m good with just about anything, and we have a lot of movies to choose from.”

“Do you have Resident Evil?” I asked. The blonde nodded nervously, and I smirked. “Then we’ll watch that.” The popcorn finished popping, and he grabbed a bowl, emptying the bag into it before leading me to the living room. He slipped the disc into the DVD player, and started up the movie once the main menu appeared. While we watched, I casually ate the popcorn, but as it progressed into the gorier and more intense scenes, I noticed Roxas was jumping whenever there was a loud noise from the speakers or something jumped into view from out of nowhere. Which was often. Without warning, a creature shot out from hiding at the main character, and my friend suddenly yelped and clung to me in a panic.

“HOLY SHIT!!” he shrieked, and I laughed loudly before pausing the movie.

“You don’t handle scary movies that well, huh?” I chuckled.

“No, I don’t,” he mumbled, and then he realized he was still clinging to me. He let go of me, muttering an embarrassed apology.

“Meh, don’t worry about it. Joshua doesn’t handle this stuff well, either,” I smirked. That’s when the garage door opened, and the sound of a truck’s engine became a bit louder before stopping altogether. Soon after, the door leading out to the garage opened, and a man’s voice called out, “Roxas, I’m home!”

“Hey Axel! I’m in here, and I’ve got a friend with me!” Roxas hollered back. Then a tall, lanky neko with bright red hair and matching ears walked into the living room, his green eyes curious as his tail waved.

“Well then, and who’s your friend, Rox?” he asked with a smirk, ruffling Roxas’s hair and ears.

“This is Neku, the guy who showed me around and defended me from that bully yesterday,” the blonde smiled, his ears perking up once Axel stopped.

“Nice to meet you, Axel,” I greeted, standing and shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you, too, Neku,” he grinned. “I assume Roxas told you a bit about me, seeing as you know my name.”

“Yeah, we chatted on the way to school this morning,” I nodded. “He really thinks highly of you.”

“Good to know,” Axel chuckled, and then he noticed the movie. “Rox, you hate scary movies! Why are you watching one?”

“Neku wanted to, and I didn’t want to seem like a wuss…” my friend pouted.

“Hey, you could have said no, man,” I smirked. “Besides, you said you were good with just about anything.”

“Roxas…” Axel sighed, his ears flattening out to the sides. “All right, no more scary movies. Can’t have you waking up with nightmares.”

“Sorry, Axel,” he apologized. “I didn’t know it would be this scary.”

“No worries,” the redhead assured him. “How was school today, guys?”

“It was good, until Seifer and his crew tried to mess with us,” I told him. At Axel’s puzzled expression, I explained. “Seifer’s the bully from yesterday. One of his lackeys, Fuu, twisted Roxas’s arm a bit, so after we went to the office, we were able to leave early.”

“Geez! Please tell me they’re getting punished for that,” he groaned.

“Yeah, and Neku beat the crap out of them, too,” Roxas laughed lightly.

“Good to know you’re not a pushover, kid,” Axel smiled at me, ruffling my hair and ears lightly. I yelped, and then fixed my hair when he stopped. “Neku, would you like to stay for dinner? I know it’s sudden, but think of it as my thanks for protecting Roxas.”

“I’d have to ask my brother first, but it shouldn’t be a problem,” I replied.

“Go ahead, then, I understand,” he said. I pulled out my phone, flipping it open and seeing that Joshua had texted me already, saying he was on his way home with the pizza.

“Damn, he’s already on his way home with dinner,” I sighed. “Maybe some other time, then.”

“No worries, it’s cool,” Axel assured me. “Like you said, we can another time.”

“Well, I’d best get going, then. Joshua will be home soon,” I told them.

“All right, see you soon, Neku!” Roxas smiled.

“Cool. See ya, Roxas,” I nodded, and went to the front door, putting my shoes back on and grabbing my bag before leaving. Once I got home, I saw Joshua’s car was pulling up in the driveway, and he waved me over.

“Just come in through the garage,” he said, and I nodded, following him into the garage as he pulled in. When he was parked and the ignition was turned off, Joshua closed the garage door, and he hopped out, holding the pizza box. “Heya Neku.”

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Go ahead and go inside with the pizza, I just need to grab something from the trunk,” my brother told me, and I took the box from him before heading into the house. I kicked off my shoes by the front door, and went to the kitchen, where I set down the box on the counter and pulled out a couple of plates and sodas. Shortly after, Joshua came in, and I heard the door close behind him.

“So what did you have to grab from the trunk?” I called to him, about to dish myself some pizza.

“Why don’t you come over and see?” the silverette replied back, so I put the pizza back in the box to keep it warm before wiping my fingers off on a napkin and going to investigate. My ears popped up as I was stunned when I saw Joshua holding a little orange and gold tabby kitten in his arms that had a royal blue ribbon tied around its neck. “Surprise, Neku~”

“Wha—?” I started to say, but Joshua interrupted.

“He’s an early birthday present, despite your birthday being a bit over a month away,” he giggled. He then held the kitten out to me, and I carefully took him into my arms, holding him comfortably so his back legs were supported by my arm. “Happy early Birthday, little brother.”

“He’s precious, Josh!” I grinned, and he laughed lightly.

“I had a feeling you’d love him. That’s why I went to the shelter this morning,” he explained. “I was putting him on reserve so no one else could adopt him.”

“Well, you did amazing,” I told him. “Thank you.”

“What are you going to name him?” Joshua asked.

“I think I’ll name him…Taiyo,” I smiled softly, petting the little kitten’s head gently.

“I like it,” my brother nodded in approval. “Now, come on, let’s put the pizza in the oven so it stays warm while we get little Taiyo here set up in one of the spare bedrooms.”

“Sounds good,” I agreed, and then Joshua put the pizza in the oven, setting it for a low temperature so it stayed warm, and then he grabbed some of the supplies he’d purchased for Taiyo while I held said kitten. Taiyo gave a small mewl as I stroked his head and scratched behind his ears, and I knew he was hungry. “You bought food and water bowls, right?”

“Of course, and a bed, toys, scratching posts, litter boxes, food, treats, and litter,” he assured me. He carried up a majority of the supplies, and while I set things up, he went back down to get the rest. Taiyo sniffed about the room, curious of his new surroundings, and I gave a soft laugh.

“Do you like it, Taiyo?” I asked him, making him look up at me.

“Mew!” he squeaked happily, showing his tiny teeth. I ran my hand along his head and back, and he began to purr, revealing how satisfied he was.

“I take it he likes you and the room?” Joshua smirked as he walked in, carrying the rest of the supplies.

“I would assume so,” I smiled. We soon finished putting everything together, but as we were about to head back downstairs, Taiyo began to cry, so I picked him up, and he immediately stopped. “Let’s have him with us while we have our Friday night TV show catch-up session.”

“Definitely,” my brother agreed, and we had Taiyo on the couch with us while we ate our pizza and watched TV shows we had recorded but hadn’t had the time to watch. As the night went on, I noticed Taiyo had curled into my side, and was fast asleep. “Want him to sleep in your room? I can bring some supplies in from his room.”

“I think we’d both like that,” I nodded, and carefully, so as not to wake him, I picked him up, and carried him to my room, where Joshua soon appeared with a litter box and the food and water bowls. “Night, Josh.”

“Goodnight, Neku,” he smiled, and then left. I set Taiyo on my bed, and once I was changed into my boxers and a t-shirt, I climbed into bed with him, where I pulled my new kitten close and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When morning came, I awoke to purring against my chest. I knew it wasn’t me, so it had to be Taiyo. My eyes slowly opened, and I could feel the little kitten’s warmth against my chest. I looked down when I felt his little sandpaper-like tongue lick my chin, and smiled when he blinked up at me.

“You’re too cute for your own good, you know that?” I chuckled. He merely purred louder in response. “Let’s get you some breakfast.”

“Mew!” he squeaked, and I smiled.

“All right, I can take a hint,” I laughed lightly, and began to sit up, holding Taiyo against my chest. It was only when I had filled his food bowl and was watching him eat that I realized just how tiny he really was. He must have been a runt and didn’t get to eat as much from his mother, or all the kittens were just really tiny. I’ll have to ask Joshua. When Taiyo had eaten his fill, he drank some water, and then resorted to following me as I walked around my room to get dressed. He gave a squeaky mew when I didn’t pet him as he followed me, making me laugh a bit. “Come here, you. You don’t like being ignored, huh?” He mewled happily as I pet him, arching his back into my touch, and his big blue eyes closed with each stroke of my hand. Thank gods it’s a three day weekend then. I briefly stopped to pull on my shirt and slip my headphones around my neck, and then picked him up to bring him downstairs to the kitchen with me. As I walked down the stairs, though, I could hear Joshua speaking with someone at the front door.

“Sorry, but I think he’s still sleeping. You’re free to wait for him in the living room, though,” my brother told the stranger.

“All right, thank you,” the guest said, and I recognized the voice as Roxas’s. I walked down, deciding to announce my presence.

“Hey,” I called out, and the pair blinked at me, surprised, before Roxas’s eyes lit up at the sight of Taiyo in my arms.

“You have a kitten!” he exclaimed, making me chuckle.

“Yeah, Joshua brought him home last night, telling me he’s an early birthday present,” I smiled, looking at Taiyo.

“Really?” the blonde blinked, and Joshua giggled.

“Yes, I thought it was time for Neku to have his own pet,” the silverette smirked, his ears flicking and tail waving with amusement.

“That’s awesome!” my friend grinned. “What’s his name?”

“Taiyo,” I told him. “But what brings you by, Roxas?”

“I thought we could hang out today, seeing as I have nothing else going on, and Axel got called into work for the day,” he replied. I glanced at Joshua briefly, who nodded.

“Sounds good. We can hang out here and play with Taiyo,” I said.

“That’s perfect, seeing as Sanae called me into work, too. Apparently, business is picking up at the café right now,” Joshua agreed.

“Seriously? That never happens, though,” I frowned.

“Well, it did, so I need to get going,” my brother sighed. He then went to the kitchen, where I assumed he was going to finish his usual morning cup of coffee. Once he was gone, I looked at Roxas as I finished heading down the steps.

“Have you eaten yet this morning?” I asked him.

“Not much, just a breakfast bar,” he admitted.

“Then I’ll fix us something,” I smirked. “You like omelets, right?”

“Hell yeah!” Roxas grinned. “Especially cheese ones!”

“Same here,” I chuckled. “Then we’ll have omelets for breakfast.” I carried Taiyo into the kitchen while Roxas followed after kicking his shoes off by the front door, and he sat on a stool we had in there while I set my kitten down so I could prepare breakfast. Taiyo immediately began to mewl, upset, but Roxas plucked him off the floor, holding him close and petting him. It calmed him, and the kitten soon began to purr happily.

“Looks like he likes you,” Joshua commented as he walked over, holding his cup of coffee.

“I would hope so, considering I’d like to be able to visit often,” Roxas smiled, glancing at us.

“I wouldn’t see a problem with that,” Joshua assured him, and I nodded in agreement as I whipped up the eggs. I returned my attention to the stove as Joshua and Roxas began to talk. “So, Roxas, help yourself to the snacks whenever you want, and feel free to make yourself at home. You seem like a good kid, so I know we’ll be seeing more of you here.”

“Thank you, Joshua,” my friend told him gratefully.

“Of course,” my brother smiled. He then glanced at the clock and yelped. “Dammit! I need to run, but I’ll see you guys this evening!” He ran out to his car, where we heard the engine start as the garage door opened, and he quickly drove off.

“Geez, Joshua is a punctual guy, isn’t he?” Roxas guessed once the garage door to outside was shut.

“Nah, Mr. H just scares him into being on time,” I shrugged, making Roxas laugh. Taiyo mewed when he smelled the eggs, and I chuckled. “Want some when I’m done, Taiyo?”

“Mew!” he squeaked at the top of his tiny lungs, causing us both to laugh loudly.

“That’s a definite yes!” Roxas wheezed as his laughter died down.

“I’ll give you a little bit once it’s all cooked, okay buddy?” I told the kitten, and he purred, satisfied with my reply. Giving a small chuckle, I scratched him behind his ears before returning to the omelet in the pan. When that one was done, I quickly got the next one in the pan, and once the second was finished, I slid it onto a plate. “Here ya go, Roxas.” I handed him the second plate along with a fork, and he accepted it gratefully.

“Thanks, Neku,” he grinned, and we headed out to the living room to watch some TV while we ate. Taiyo poked my thigh with his paw as I ate, and I gave him a tiny scrap of egg. He sniffed it curiously, and then ate it. After a few seconds, he mewled in delight, loving the taste, and I gave him another little piece.

“You’re such a little glutton,” I smirked, and Roxas snorted, trying not to laugh with a mouthful of omelet. He soon swallowed, and laughed a bit.

“I guess he really likes eggs,” he said. “Not that I blame him. This is delicious, Neku.”

“Thanks,” I told him, and took another bite of my omelet. “Hey, do you play video games?”

“Yeah, why?” he asked, blinking his curious blue eyes.

“Just wondering if you’d like to play Super Smash Brothers Brawl,” I smirked.

“Oh, you’re on,” the blonde grinned evilly. We quickly finished eating, and then I turned on the Wii and put the disc for the game in. I handed Roxas a GameCube controller, plugging it and mine in, and sat back down on the couch. Taiyo’s bright blue eyes watched the screen curiously as I set up the rules for the match, which were taking turns for the stage selection, only pokéballs and food for items, high drop rate for said items, and 10 minute brawls.

“Are those rules gonna work for you?” I asked.

“I’m good at this, so don’t worry about me,” he replied, waving a hand at me dismissively. I shrugged and selected my character, Lucario, while Roxas chose Pikachu.

“He suits you,” I teased, making him stick out his tongue at me as he opted to have Pikachu wear a red cap. I left Lucario’s colors the way they were, and then we went to stage selection. I chose Pokémon Stadium 2, and the match began. Immediately, I had Lucario lunge forward, grabbing Pikachu and punching him repeatedly. Roxas gave a growl, his ears going back before he managed to escape, and he used Thunder on me. I threw an Aura Sphere at him, but he dodged, and then a pokéball appeared. I quickly grabbed and threw it, revealing Latios. He and Latias shot about the screen, crying out as they struck Pikachu several times. I took advantage of the situation and had Lucario use a C-stick move (something only the GameCube controllers can do) on him, sending him flying.

“Ha!” I taunted the blonde, who glared playfully at me.

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” he warned. I snorted, but kept my focus on the game. Pikachu had come back by this time, so Roxas was ready for another whooping. Two pokéballs appeared this time, and we threw them at each other, revealing mine had Staryu inside, and Roxas’s had Electrode.

“Wah!” we wailed, and kept Lucario and Pikachu as far away from Electrode as we could, seeing as his Self-Destruct could damage anyone. Staryu shot its Swift attack at Pikachu, and once Electrode was gone, Staryu disappeared. Roxas grabbed the next pokéball and threw it, revealing a Goldeen. I barked a laugh, and he paused the game before tackling me to the carpeted floor and pinning me.

“Hey!” I yelped, but started to laugh as he began to tickle me mercilessly. “AH! NO! STOP!!”

“This is what you get for teasing me!” he growled, a playful grin on his face. I squirmed wildly, trying to get free, but he wouldn’t let up.

“STOP!!!” I begged between laughs, and finally managed to shove him off. I leaned back, breathing heavily as I tried to catch my breath. I could feel my face was red from laughing so hard, and eventually, I sat up, noticing Taiyo was watching us with a bored expression. “Are we boring you, Taiyo?” The little orange and gold kitten yawned in response, drawing a weak chuckle from me and a laugh from Roxas.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said.

“I don’t think we’re gonna finish this match,” I commented, looking at the TV screen. Turning off the game, I then thought of something else we could do. Something that won’t end with me being tickled like that again. “Hey, do you have Pokémon Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire? Or even X or Y?”

“Yeah, I have all four,” he nodded. “Why?”

“Let’s battle, then. I have all four, too,” I smirked, and he nodded eagerly.

“I have to run by my house really quick, but I’ll be right back,” he said, and got up, running off to the front door and slipping on his shoes before dashing to his house. I went up to my room, Taiyo following me as quickly as he could with his little legs, and I grabbed my games and black 3DS. When I started to go back downstairs, I noticed little Taiyo was only halfway up, so I picked him up and carried him back down with me. He purred in my grip, and once I was seated on the couch again, Roxas came in through the front door. I heard him kick off his shoes, and he dashed over, startling Taiyo. The kitten hissed in warning, but relaxed as Roxas sat down with his games.

“So, does your team vary by your games?” I asked, starting to stick my Y version into my 3DS.

“Not really, it just depends on the legendaries,” he shrugged.

“I hear ya,” I nodded in understanding. I watched as he stuck in his X version, and we turned on our 3DS’s. Once we added each other’s friend codes, we started up our games, and then started the battle, setting up the rules. Levels would stay as they currently are, and single battle format. The battle started, and we had all six of our Pokémon in for it. I sent out my Gogoat first, and he sent out his Chesnaught. Immediately, I switched out, seeing as my Gogoat didn’t have any super effective moves against grass types. I then sent out Charizard, and Chesnaught used Hammer Arm. It didn’t do much damage, despite both Pokémon being level 100, but that’s because I had super trained Charizard’s defense stat to be as high as I could get it.

“Let’s see how you handle this,” I smirked, and had Charizard use Flamethrower. It almost took Chesnaught out completely, but he used Thunderpunch, dealing some damage to Charizard. In the next turn, I had Charizard finish it with Air Slash, and Chesnaught fainted.

“Dammit!” Roxas hissed, and then sent out Blastoise. “Try Blastoise on for size!” I heard him tap the button for mega evolving, so I decided to switch out again, this time for Heliolisk. “Seriously?!”

“Yup,” I replied simply, and it was perfect timing, as he had Blastoise use Rain Dance. On the next turn, I had Heliolisk use Thunderbolt, almost knocking Blastoise out. Roxas then had Blastoise use Water Pulse, but it did nothing to Heliolisk because of his Dry Skin ability.

“Oh, come on!” Roxas growled.

“Now to finish him,” I muttered, and had Heliolisk use Parabolic Charge, making Blastoise faint.

“All right, now you’re gonna get it!” he snapped, and sent out Xerneas. I tried to stick it out with Heliolisk, but one Moonblast knocked him out. I decided to send Charizard back out to weaken it, and had him use Flamethrower, which did a little bit of damage due to the rain, but Xerneas used Thunderbolt, and knocked him out.

“Fine. You wanna play dirty? Try this on for size,” I spat, and sent out Lucario. I immediately had him mega evolve, and then use Flash Cannon. It severely weakened Xerneas, who used Moonblast, almost knocking Lucario out, but he managed to survive it. I followed it up with another Flash Cannon, making him faint.

“You’re kidding me, right?” Roxas grumbled. He then sent out a Pyroar, and had it use Fire Blast, knocking Lucario out before I could attack. “That’s much better!” I snorted in response to his words, and sent out Greninja. I had him use Hydro Pump, knocking out Pyroar in one shot. The blonde neko in front of me growled under his breath, and then sent out a Luxray. I switched out for Gogoat again, right as Luxray used Discharge. Gogoat ended up taking minimal damage, but he also became paralyzed. During the next turn, Luxray used Ice Fang, but Gogoat used Earthquake, knocking out Luxray in one hit.

“You’re on your last Pokémon,” I reminded him teasingly, drawing a frustrated growl from Roxas, who sent out Talonflame. My tail waved with amusement as I switched out again, this time for Yveltal. “I. Win,” I smirked, having Yveltal use Dark Pulse, and it knocked Talonflame out in a single blow.

“Dammit!” my friend shouted, pouting as the battle ended, and I laughed.

“Hey, I just happen to be really good at this,” I grinned, and Taiyo mewled from next to me before going to Roxas and cuddling up to him. “Even Taiyo’s trying to cheer you up, man.” Roxas smiled at the kitten, petting him.

“Thank you, Taiyo,” he told him, scratching behind his ears. Taiyo merely purred in response, and Roxas said, “Sorry, I guess I’m kind of a sore loser.”

“Hey, we all have our moments,” I shrugged. “How about we just watch TV and play with Taiyo instead then? That way we don’t throw a bitch fit when we play a fighting game.”

“That sounds good,” he agreed. I clicked the TV back from the video game connection to live TV, and we sat back while watching Ridiculousness on MTV. We laughed our asses off until about noon, enjoying ourselves as Rob made fun of the people in the videos. There were some impressive videos, too, such as a guy on a motorcycle slamming into the back of a moving car while driving on the freeway and the motorcyclist ended up literally flipping onto the top of the car from the force of the impact. Roxas and I gaped at each other at that one.

“How the fuck did he manage that?!” the blonde yelped.

“No idea, but geez, that was crazy,” I nodded, my eyes wide. I noticed the time, and said, “Want some lunch? I can fix us something.”

“I’d like that,” he smiled, and Taiyo mewed loudly, showing us he was hungry, too. We laughed lightly at him, making the kitten watch us in confusion.

“All right, I’ll get you your lunch, too,” I told Taiyo, picking him up as we went into the kitchen. I made us each a roast beef and cheddar sandwich with some chips, and we each drank a soda with the food. But I definitely made sure to feed Taiyo a half a can of wet food, and we laughed as he gave little noises while munching down on his lunch.

“Hey, Neku?” Roxas said after a bit during a commercial break.

“Hmm?” I uttered around a mouthful of chips.

“Wanna spend the night tonight? Axel really wants to thank you for yesterday, so he still would like for you to come over for dinner, and I’d like for you to spend the night,” he asked.

“I’ll have to ask Joshua, but I’m sure he’d be fine with it,” I replied. Roxas brightened immediately at my words.

“Thanks, Neku,” he smiled.

“How’s your arm today, by the way?” I inquired.

“Oh, it’s much better,” he assured me. “I took some more ibuprofen this morning before coming over, anyway.”

“Good,” I nodded. We continued to lounge about, watching some shows on TV and playing with Taiyo every now and then, until Joshua got home around four.

“Hi guys!” my brother called out when he came in, hanging his apron on the coat rack.

“Hey Josh!” I answered back. Joshua rounded the corner into the living room, and he smiled at the sight of us playing with Taiyo with a feather teaser.

“I see you guys are having fun,” he smirked, his tail waving in amusement.

“Why wouldn’t we be having fun? Taiyo’s too entertaining,” Roxas smiled, laughing a little when Taiyo pounced on the teaser.

“So, what all did you two do today?” the silverette asked, sitting down in the armchair.

“We tried to play Brawl, but Roxas got mad three minutes in and tackled me into a tickling session because he was losing,” I told him, drawing a giggle from Joshua and a pout from Roxas.

“That’s how you used to be with me, Neku, until you practiced a lot and managed to beat me,” he pointed out. I glared at him in response.

“Do you really want to get into it now?” I grumbled, and he waved a hand dismissively.

“No, so tell me more about your day,” he said.

“We had a battle with my X version and Neku’s Y version, but I lost,” Roxas told Joshua, his ears folding out to the sides a bit.

“Neku’s diligent in making sure he’s got a tip-top team in that game,” my brother giggled.

“I can tell,” the blonde snorted, and I smirked. “But other than that, we didn’t do much, just watched Ridiculousness and some random shows on TV.”

“At least you two had fun,” Joshua smiled, and ruffled our hair and ears gently. Roxas and I swatted his hands away, making him giggle.

“Oh yeah, Josh?” I said, continuing when he looked at me. “Can I go over to Roxas’s house for dinner and to stay the night tonight?”

“I don’t see an issue with it,” the silverette shrugged.

“Thanks,” I smiled, and Roxas grinned.

“Yeah, thank you, Joshua! Axel wants to thank Neku for protecting me yesterday, and so he felt having him over would be a good way,” the blonde explained.

“Do you think Axel will mind if I bring Taiyo with me?” I asked Roxas, and he shook his head.

“Nah, it shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, I think he’d love it if you brought Taiyo,” he assured me. “Now come on! Let’s head over to my house!”

“I need to get my stuff first,” I reminded him with a smirk. He blushed and gave a sheepish smile, and then followed me up to my room as I carried Taiyo in my arms. I opened the door to my room, and Roxas followed me inside with wide eyes. He looked at all of the posters, pictures, and artwork in my room in awe, and then noticed I was packing a few of Taiyo’s belongings.

“Oh, you won’t need that stuff,” he told me.

“Why’s that?”

“I have a cat at home who’s very friendly. He’ll share his litter box and toys,” he replied.

“Well, I at least need to bring some kitten food and a bowl,” I pointed out. Once I had finished packing up some clothes, my phone charger, games, Taiyo’s food bowl, and a small baggie of his kitten food, I stood up and looked at Roxas, who was examining a framed photo on my desk.

“Who are they, Neku?” the blonde inquired, pointing at the couple in the picture. It showed a couple who were just married, standing at the altar. The man in the picture had silver hair and ears, blue eyes, and was wearing a black tuxedo while holding the woman next to him close. The woman, who was a bit shorter than her husband, had ginger hair and ears, violet eyes, and was wearing an elegant, slimming wedding dress with lots of lace. They had wide smiles on their faces, and their eyes shone with joy.

“My parents,” I mumbled, my ears lowering slightly. “That was the day they got married.”

“Oh… I’m sorry, Neku,” Roxas murmured, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault,” I assured him, and then led him out of my room, still holding Taiyo. He was quick to follow, shutting the door behind us. We went downstairs, where Joshua was watching the news from his armchair. “We’re heading out, Josh!” I called to my brother as we headed to the front door.

“Don’t forget to put Taiyo in his carrier!” he reminded me, and I stopped in my tracks.

“Thanks!” I yelled back, and I pulled the small carrier with cushioned interior out of the hallway closet, carefully slipping Taiyo inside. He mewled a little at first, but soon settled down for the trip. “See you tomorrow, Josh!”

“See you, Neku! Have a good night!” he told me, and then we left. When we got to Roxas’s house, Axel’s truck was there, and a black and white cat was sitting at the front door, patiently waiting to be let in.

“Heya, Mickey,” Roxas greeted the cat. Looking back at me, he said, “This is our cat, Mickey. He’s a senior guy, but he fathered a few litters in the neighborhood before he got neutered. So we know he’s good with kittens. He actually has never fought with other cats, to be honest, despite being an outdoor and indoor cat.”

“Well, hopefully he’ll be okay with Taiyo’s energy,” I chuckled.

“Don’t worry about it,” the blonde assured me, and then we went up to the door, and Mickey meowed at us in greeting. He sniffed at Taiyo’s carrier, and Taiyo got close to the door, sniffing Mickey back. “Come on, Mickey, let’s go inside, and then you can meet him.” Mickey meowed again, and then walked inside once Roxas opened the front door. We went inside after him, the blonde calling out, “Axel, I’m home! And Neku’s here for dinner and to stay the night!”

“Perfect timing!” Axel’s voice answered from the kitchen. “Come on in, boys! I’m just getting dinner ready.” We took off our shoes and headed to the kitchen, where the redhead was cooking some fettuccine in a pot and alfredo sauce in a pan.

“What’s for dinner, Axel?” Roxas asked, one ear folding back.

“Chicken parmesan and fettuccine alfredo,” his godfather grinned. He then noticed the carrier in my hand, and he looked at me, his ears flicking a little. “And who’s in there?”

“My new kitten, Taiyo. He’s an early birthday gift for me,” I told him.

“That’s great!” Axel smiled warmly. “So, you’re spending the night, huh?”

“Yeah, my brother said it was cool,” I nodded.

“Good to know,” the redhead said. “Well, dinner won’t be ready for about a half hour, so you two are free to hang out for a bit.”

“Thanks, Axel!” Roxas grinned, and he tugged my hand, and led me upstairs to what I assumed was his room. “This is my room. This is where we’ll be sleeping. I have a bunk bed for whenever Sora and Uncle Leon visit, and Sora usually sleeps in here on the top bunk, but you get it tonight.” He opened the door, and I was pleasantly surprised to see some posters of favorite bands of mine tacked up on the walls, along with some smaller Pokémon posters. There were a few collectables and knick knacks on shelves here and there, but it wasn’t overwhelming.

“Nice posters,” I murmured, setting my bag and Taiyo’s carrier down by his desk and letting the kitten out. Mickey had followed us in, and seemed eager to meet my kitten. The old cat sniffed Taiyo curiously, and then meowed at him before leaving, and Taiyo squeaked a mew before running after him.

“Looks like they like each other,” Roxas laughed lightly, and I nodded. “Come on, let’s head back down. Dinner should be almost ready, and we can set up the table while we’re waiting.”

“Sounds good,” I agreed, and we went downstairs to the kitchen, where Axel was watching Taiyo and Mickey interact as he stirred the alfredo sauce.

“Good timing, boys. Dinner’s ready,” the redhead told us.

“Awesome, thanks, Axel!” Roxas smiled, yelping when the taller man ruffled his hair and ears. “Ah! Axel, don’t do that!” he whined, swatting the hand away.

“Can’t help it, Rox,” Axel chuckled. I smirked at the display of fatherly affection from the redhead, and then blinked when I felt Taiyo rubbing himself against my ankles. Looking down, the smirk shifted into a soft smile at the sight of the tabby kitten blinking his big blue eyes up at me, practically begging for attention. I plucked him off of the floor and held him, scratching gently behind his ears and rubbing his little head. “He’s a clingy little guy, isn’t he?” Axel asked when he noticed me holding Taiyo.

“Yeah, but it shouldn’t be a problem until school. Even then, I’ll try and figure something out,” I shrugged.

“You know, I bet he’d have fun during the day with Mickey while you boys are at school,” the taller neko offered, and I blinked at him, surprised. “I have no issues with him being here with Mickey while you two are at school. Besides, then he won’t be so lonely.”

“Are you sure?” I frowned. “It would really help, but I don’t want him to be a burden…”

“He won’t be,” Roxas assured me. “When Axel offers something like this, he knows what it entails.”

“That would really help, seeing as he’s already so social,” I murmured.

“Then it’s settled,” Axel nodded. “Just go ahead and drop him off here on your way to school with some of his food and toys.”

“Thanks, guys,” I smiled slightly.

“Now that that’s taken care of, how about we eat some dinner?” the redhead suggested, and Roxas grinned.

“Finally! I’m starving!” the blonde exclaimed, and he quickly grabbed some plates and silverware from the cabinet and a drawer, placing them on the table.

“Thanks, Rox,” his godfather smiled. “Now, go sit down, and I’ll dish everyone some food. Let me know if you want seconds, okay Neku?”

“I will, thank you,” I said politely, and sat down next to Roxas at the table as Axel dished us each some fettuccine, a large spoonful of alfredo sauce, and a piece of parmesan chicken. “Smells amazing,” I murmured, inhaling the wonderful scent deeply.

“Wait until you try it,” Roxas told me with a wide grin, flicking his ears once. I took a forkful of the pasta with a small piece of chicken, and ate it. Immediately, my taste buds were assaulted with the wonderful flavors of the moist chicken, parmesan breading, and creamy alfredo sauce.

“This is delicious!” I smiled, looking at Axel, who had finally sat down.

“Good to know someone else likes my cooking,” he chuckled.

“Yeah, my brother can’t cook worth shit,” I laughed.

“Well feel free to join us for dinner whenever you want then, Neku,” the redhead said warmly. I blinked at him in surprise, before smiling back.

“Thanks, I’ll probably take you up on that,” I smirked.

“Awesome, that means Axel really approves of you as my friend, Neku!” Roxas beamed. When I cast him a confused look, he explained, “Axel doesn’t invite just anyone over like that whenever they want to come over. Back in Twilight Town, I had a few friends, but Axel hardly ever let them come over when he wasn’t around. This means he really thinks highly of you.”

“Damn, Rox, you figured me out,” Axel told him in a teasing tone.

“It was just something I noticed,” Roxas replied, pouting with his ears folded back until he took another bite of his pasta.”

“Don’t worry about it, because you’re right,” his godfather assured him. “Not to be rude about Hayner and the others, but I wasn’t too keen on them. Neku here seems to be better for you.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, surprised by the kind comment.

“No problem. It’s just a good feeling I get from you,” Axel smiled at me. “Now, let’s finish eating before our dinner gets cold.” Roxas and I nodded our agreement, and went to work on finishing our meals. Afterwards, I leaned back in my seat and sighed in content, resting my hand on my full stomach.

“Good, huh?” Roxas asked, a sleepy look to his blue eyes.

“I wouldn’t have finished if it wasn’t,” I smirked. He rolled his eyes in response, but wore a smile regardless.

“Go on up to get to bed, boys. I’ll clean up, no problem,” Axel said, standing up and collecting our plates.

“Are you sure, Axel?” the blonde asked, one ear folding back in question.

“Of course! You two are obviously tired, so hop to bed. I don’t want either of you to feel too groggy in the morning,” the redhead assured us, his ears flicking once.

“Is something going on tomorrow?” my friend asked.

“Nah, but I’d rather not have either of you feeling dead on your feet,” his godfather smirked. Roxas nodded, and motioned for me to come with him. We went up to his room after bidding Axel goodnight, and once the door was closed, I flopped onto the bottom bunk with Roxas joining me.

“Your godfather’s awesome,” I murmured, my ears twitching a little.

“Isn’t he? He was actually a good friend of both my dads’,” he smiled.

“You had two dads?” I questioned, surprised.

“Yeah, and before you ask, no, I wasn’t adopted,” he nodded.

“I’ve heard of males having kids, but never met anyone with two dads,” I said.

“Yeah, I’m one of the rare ones,” the blonde chuckled.

“Did your friends in Twilight Town know?” I inquired, finally looking at him.

“No, actually. They were…homophobic, unfortunately,” he sighed, looking at his lap.

“Seriously?” I frowned, my ears flattening out to the sides. “Then why were you friends with them?”

“I didn’t know until not too long before Axel and I moved here,” he mumbled. “They were insulting a gay couple that was holding hands when we were out one time, but I didn’t say anything. Hayner, our…leader, I guess, accused me of being gay myself, which I got pissed about because there’s nothing wrong with being gay. I hadn’t even told them about my parents by that point, but that made me realize that they didn’t deserve to know.”

“And yet you trust me enough to tell me?” I asked.

“Yeah. You’ve been nothing but nice to me since that first incident with Seifer, and I just had a feeling like you deserve to know,” he smiled lightly. “Besides, Axel thinks highly of you, so I felt you would keep it a secret.”

“Of course, Roxas,” I assured the blonde. “I don’t care who people love, as long as they’re happy, ya know? That’s how it is for my aunt and uncle. Uncle Beat is a dopey, muscular, skater guy, while Aunt Shiki is into fashion and designing with her friend Eri. Even Aunt Rhyme helps out, but she’s more into skating with her brother. It’s just funny how my aunt and uncle get along so well, despite being practically polar opposites.”

“They sound cool,” Roxas remarked with a wide yawn. “I’d like to meet them someday.”

“I’m sure you will,” I murmured. “They’re supposed to be visiting for Christmas and New Year’s, and maybe even Thanksgiving, too. I’ll introduce you to them then.”

“Sounds awesome,” he told me with a sleepy grin.

“Let’s get some sleep, a’ight?” I suggested. “I’m getting tired, too.”

“Right,” he nodded, forcing himself up into a sitting position. I sat up as well, but before I could get up to grab my night t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants, the blonde grabbed his own pajamas and headed to the door. “I’ll change in the bathroom. Be back in five minutes, okay?”

“I’ll be done by then,” I replied, and he smiled before heading to the bathroom. Yawning a bit, I hauled myself off the bed and pulled my night clothes out of my bag before sliding off my cargo shorts and sleeveless shirt, and then slipping on my midnight blue sleep pants with silver specks for stars on them, followed by a black t-shirt. There was a scratching at the door when I finished dressing, but I knew it wasn’t Roxas. Carefully, I opened the door, and Taiyo and Mickey padded in. Shortly after, the blonde himself came in, dressed in black and white checkered sleep pants and a grey t-shirt, and he smiled when he saw the two cats.

“Looks like they’re ready for bed, too,” he remarked. “Mickey tends to sleep in my room, but on rare occasions, he joins Axel.”

“It’s no big deal,” I shrugged as I plucked Taiyo off the floor. The kitten purred in my arms, and I held him carefully as I began to climb up the ladder to the top bunk. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sleep.”

“Same here,” Roxas nodded, and crawled under the covers on the bottom bunk. “Goodnight, Neku.”

“G’night, Roxas,” I yawned once I was also under the covers with Taiyo lying on the pillow next to my head. Soon after the light was turned off, I fell asleep to the purring on the pillow from my kitten.


	4. Chapter 4

X*X(Christmas Break, Friday)X*X

“Finally, school’s out for three weeks!” Roxas crowed once we were outside of the school. I paused my music before it could start another song, allowing the sound from my headphones around my neck to cease.

“Yeah, and my aunts and uncle are coming to visit for the holiday,” I smiled. I hadn’t told him because I wanted to surprise him, and I got the reaction I wanted. His jaw dropped, those blue eyes of his widened, and then his face split into a grin.

“Awesome! I finally get to meet them!” he cheered. “And that means you guys all get to meet my Uncle Leon and cousin Sora!”

“Really? I thought they weren’t coming?” I frowned, puzzled.

“Nah, I just told you that so I could mess with you,” he smirked. “Besides, they felt bad about not being able to make it for Thanksgiving.”

“Sneaky bastard,” I teased. He pouted at that until I lightly elbowed him in the arm. “Come on, you know I was teasing.” The statement made him roll his eyes, and we laughed a bit as we walked home. When we got to Roxas’s house so I could pick up Taiyo, however, we saw a steel blue 2007 Ford F150 parked next to Axel’s truck in the driveway, signaling the redhead was home, and that Leon had arrived with Roxas’s cousin, Sora. “They drove here?”

“They must have taken his truck on the ferry,” the blonde shrugged. He unlocked the front door, and when we walked in, he yelled, “I’m back!”

“ROXY!!!” a voice shrieked, and then a brown blur with sky blue eyes tackled Roxas onto the hallway floor, hugging him tightly.

“Hello to you, too, Sora,” my friend chuckled, but then winced from the blow to his head when he’d hit the floor. “Damn, you got stronger.”

“Roxas! I missed you!” the brunette, Sora, cried out happily as he continued to hug his cousin.

“I know, Sora, I missed you, too! But I really need to get up!” Roxas wheezed.

“Sorry, Roxy!” his cousin chirped, and then quickly hopped up, allowing Roxas to breathe. Then he noticed me. “You must be Neku! Roxas has told me all about you! And your kitten, Taiyo, is adorable!” he babbled excitedly.

“Sora! Don’t be so smothering. They just walked in,” a man’s voice scolded, and a brunette neko rounded the corner into the hall, his ears twitching. He had steely blue eyes, almost shoulder length messy brown hair with matching ears and tail, and he wore black leather pants with some belts hanging from his waist, and a white shirt with a black, short-sleeved, leather jacket over it. He even had on black leather gloves.

“But Dad, we haven’t seen Roxas in so long!” Sora whined.

“You’ll have time to catch up later,” his dad reminded him, making the younger brunette pout. “Now, come on. Axel’s waiting. Besides, I’m sure Neku needs to get home soon himself.” A chirp from my phone sounded, and I pulled it out to see Joshua had texted me. Flipping it open, I discovered he was home, and my aunts and uncle would be there soon.

“You’re right,” I nodded. Walking over to him, I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Neku Sakuraba.”

“Leon,” the man smirked as he shook my hand. “We’ll talk more later. But it sounds like you need to run.”

“Yeah, I’ve got family of my own visiting from Shibuya, and my brother said they’re gonna be here soon,” I said. Looking back as Roxas, I asked, “Do you wanna come with me to meet them? Sora, you can come, too.”

“Sure! Axel, can I go?” the blonde yelled.

“Of course, Rox,” the redhead chuckled, walking into the hallway. “Just be back in time for dinner, okay?”

“All right,” my friend nodded.

“Can I go, too, Dad?” Sora asked Leon eagerly.

“Yes, Sora, just behave, okay?” he warned. The hyper brunette grinned and nodded, bouncing on his heels.

“Okay, I just need to get Taiyo,” I nodded, and soon enough, said kitten quickly dashed into the hall, meowing excitedly. “Hey Taiyo,” I chuckled, petting his head gently. “Ready to go?”

“Mew!” he squeaked. Despite being five months old, he was still pretty small. I grabbed his carrier from the hall closet, and the orange tabby trotted in. Once the door was shut, I picked it up, and looked at the cousins.

“Let’s go,” I said, and we walked to my house, where Joshua was waiting. I unlocked the door and opened it before walking in. “Josh, I’m home! And I brought Roxas and his cousin Sora with me!”

“Good to know, because Beat, Shiki, and Eri just got here,” my brother said as he walked down from upstairs. He must have just finished changing out of his uniform, considering he was dressed in his usual home attire. I blinked in surprise, and quickly let Taiyo out of his carrier with fumbling fingers before running outside. Sure enough, my aunt’s 2008 deep red Ford Escape had pulled up onto the sidewalk, and I grinned. As I ran over, Uncle Beat stepped out of the passenger side of the front, and met me in a hug.

“Uncle Beat!” I yelled.

“Yo, Neku! It’s been too damn long since I saw you, man!” the blonde laughed loudly, pulling away to ruffle my hair and ears. Aunt Shiki walked over from the driver’s side, a bright smile on her face as her brown tail waved happily.

“Hi Neku,” she smiled.

“Hey Aunt Shiki,” I greeted back. “Where’s Aunt Rhyme?”

“I’m right here,” a soft voice spoke up, and then I looked behind Aunt Shiki to see Aunt Rhyme standing there, a warm smile on her face.

“I’m glad you guys finally got here!” I grinned, hugging my aunts.

“Same here. Poor Shiki was getting tired,” Rhyme replied.

“Don’t worry, Josh and I got the spare rooms set up over last weekend, so you can go rest now, if you want,” I told Aunt Shiki.

“It’s okay, Neku, I’ll be fine,” she assured me, adjusting her glasses on her nose. She then looked back towards the front door, her expression surprised. “Neku, who are they?” Smiling, I motioned for Sora and Roxas to join us.

“Aunt Shiki, Uncle Beat, Aunt Rhyme, this is my best friend, Roxas,” I said, stepping over to the blonde when he and his cousin got closer. “And this is his cousin, Sora. Sora and Leon, Roxas’s uncle, are visiting for Christmas, too.”

“Ah, nice to meet you, Roxas and Sora,” Aunt Shiki smiled softly, hugging them each. “Roxas, Neku has told us so much about you, so we’ve been eager to visit.”

“Good things, I hope,” Roxas laughed.

“Of course! Nothing but the best,” Aunt Rhyme giggled.

“And he told us how he kicked that Seifer punk’s ass to defend you, too, yo!” Uncle Beat cackled.

“Yeah, and it’s been more than those two times, sadly,” I sighed. “He’s been trying to take us on off of school property nowadays, so I’m considering taking it to the police soon.”

“Good idea,” Joshua agreed as he joined us. “Now, come on in. I’ve got some tea if you’d like it.”

“I’ll help with their luggage, Josh,” I told him, and he nodded.

“Actually, Beat and I can get it,” Rhyme assured us. “Besides, I want Shiki to rest after the drive from the port.”

“You sure? I can help…” I frowned.

“Yes. But you can show us the guest rooms, at least,” she smiled.

“All right…” I sighed, but smiled regardless. “Hey, Roxas, Sora, do you guys want to stay for a bit?”

“Yeah, I can stay until it’s almost dinner,” Roxas reminded me, and Sora brightened.

“Sounds awesome!” the brunette chirped.

“Cool. Let me just show Uncle Beat and Aunt Rhyme the guest rooms and we can go to my room,” I nodded. The pair waited patiently in the living room while I showed the siblings where the guest rooms were, and then I rejoined them.

“All set?” Roxas asked.

“Yup. Let’s go,” I answered, and led the pair to my room. “Joshua, I’ll be down later to cook dinner, okay?”

“Sounds good,” he called back as we reached the top of the stairs, Taiyo scampering after us. Once we were in my room, Roxas sat next to me on my bed while Sora sat on my desk chair. Taiyo had even joined us, jumping up onto my bed with Roxas and me and lying in between us.

“So, Sora, tell me about yourself,” I said, my ears perked up and alert so I could listen.

“Dad and I live in Hollow Bastion,” he replied, his tail waving. “We ended up there after my parents divorced, and Mom stayed in Traverse Town while Dad and I moved to Hollow Bastion.”

“Do you still see your mom?”

“No… She got involved in drugs and alcohol, and spiraled into depression when she got divorced, so the court deemed her unfit to even have me there for supervised stays,” he answered, sighing. But then he perked up. “But she’s getting help now, which is nice. And my boyfriend, Riku, is really helping me whenever I have my lower days.”

“Boyfriend?” I repeated, surprised, and I looked at Roxas. “You never told me he has a boyfriend. You told me about your parents, though.”

“Well, it never really came up,” the blonde shrugged, petting Taiyo’s head.

“It’s not a problem, right?” Sora questioned with a worried frown.

“Nah, course not. Long as you’re happy with him,” I assured the brunette. Sora beamed, and then proceeded to babble on about Riku, even showing me a picture on his phone of him. Apparently, he was a junior, so a year older than Sora, with silver hair that slicked down to around his shoulder blades, matching ears and tail, and bright, turquoise eyes. Riku sounded like a good guy, based off of what Sora told me, and his whole being seemed to brighten when he talked about him. “Sounds like he’s perfect for you,” I remarked.

“Yeah, even Dad approves of him,” he grinned.

“That’s good,” Roxas nodded. “Hadn’t heard from you guys in a while, so I was wondering about that.” Suddenly, Roxas’s phone buzzed in his pocket, startling Taiyo. The poor tabby jumped up, and then curled up in my lap to keep away from the scary noise. “Damn it… Looks like dinner’s about ready, Sor. We’d better get going…”

“Awww…” Sora whined. “All right… But at least we get food!”

“True,” Roxas agreed.

“I’ll see you guys out,” I said, taking Taiyo off my lap and setting him on the floor before getting up. The two cousins followed me out of my room and down the stairs to the front door, where I paused. “Hey, Joshua, Roxas and Sora gotta get going,” I announced to my brother.

“Okay, no problem. We’ll see you boys later!” he called back.

“See you, Joshua!” Roxas yelled. “We’ll be back tomorrow!”

“No worries, just get going before you get in trouble, okay?” he said, walking into the entryway.

“We are,” the blonde chuckled. “See ya, Joshua.”

“See you boys tomorrow,” the silverette smiled. The pair left, and once the door was shut, I sighed.

“I’d better start on dinner…” I grumbled.

“Don’t worry about it, Neku. I already called in for some pizza right before you all came down here,” my brother assured me.

“Thanks,” I murmured, and he nodded with a smile, ruffling my hair and ears lightly. I swatted his hand away, and then we went to join our family in the living room. Poor Aunt Shiki looked about ready to pass out, even though she hadn’t eaten yet, and Uncle Beat was rubbing her back soothingly. “Aunt Shiki? Are you okay?” I asked as we got closer.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. The drive wore me out, is all,” she assured me. Uncle Beat gave her a questioning look, and she nodded.

“Guys, we’ve got some news for you, yo,” the blonde said, a smile beginning to form on his face.

“Oh? And what would that be?” Joshua inquired, though I knew he and I already had an idea.

“I’m two weeks pregnant,” Aunt Shiki announced, and both Joshua and I grinned.

“I knew it! You owe me twenty bucks, Josh,” I smirked, and he groaned.

“Fine, fine. I’ll pay you when I get my next check,” he sighed.

“Wait, you guys were betting on when we’d start a family?!” Aunt Shiki yelped.

“Yeah, I was betting before the end of this year, and Joshua was betting by spring or summer next year,” I chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’re both incredibly happy for you guys, and we’re looking forward to having a little cousin.”

“Man, you guys are weird, yo…” Uncle Beat sighed.

“But we’re family, so you are, too,” Joshua pointed out with a giggle. Aunt Rhyme laughed at that, nodding her agreement.

“Nothing wrong with that!” she chimed in.

“Look, if you’re tired, go ahead and get some sleep, Aunt Shiki. We’ll save you some pizza, and feel free to get some when you wake up,” I suggested.

“Thanks, Neku. I think I will…” she yawned, starting to get up. The doorbell rang then, and Joshua left to grab his wallet and answer the door for the pizza. Shortly after, he returned with three boxes of pizza in his hands.

“You sure you’re not gonna stay up while it’s fresh, Shiki?” Joshua questioned.

“No, I think I’d probably fall asleep mid-bite,” she laughed tiredly, and then Uncle Beat got up to help her. “Goodnight, guys, I’ll see you in the morning…”

“Goodnight,” we all said, and then Uncle Beat helped her off to their room.

“I’m shocked she drove you guys here when she’s pregnant,” I commented to Rhyme, and she sighed.

“Yeah, I know. I tried to change her mind, but she’s so stubborn sometimes,” she explained. “She insisted on driving from the port, unfortunately.” I nodded in understanding, and then walked into the kitchen to grab some plates.

“Well, then you and Beat will have to ensure she doesn’t push herself anymore. Neku and I can help while you’re all here,” Joshua said firmly.

“Of course,” Aunt Rhyme agreed. When I returned, Uncle Beat had just returned downstairs.

“She pretty much passed out soon as her head hit the pillow, yo,” he sighed.

“At least she’s finally sleeping now,” Aunt Rhyme pointed out.

“Yeah, I just hope she listens when we tell her to rest and take it easy,” I said. The others nodded, and we ate our dinner before cleaning up and heading to bed. Taiyo was curled up in my bed when I got there, and I chuckled. “Ready for bed, Taiyo?” He didn’t really vocalize anything, but he did watch me with an eager look. Smiling softly, I petted his head briefly before changing into an old t-shirt and boxers and crawling into bed with Taiyo lying next to me on my pillow. I fell asleep to the thought of my family being together for Christmas, and even of Roxas and his family being there.

 

X*X(Earlier, When Roxas Leaves)X*X

X*X(Roxas’s POV)X*X

“So, you told Neku about your dads?” Sora asked me as we walked, his hands folded behind his head.

“Yeah, and he was surprised, but he said he was cool with it,” I shrugged. “Besides, I didn’t tell him I can become pregnant, too.”

“Why not?”

“I thought it might be too much at once,” I replied. “And if I did tell him, I’m kinda nervous he would get freaked out.”

“I highly doubt that, Roxas,” the brunette snorted, making me quirk an eyebrow at him curiously.

“What are you going on about?” I questioned.

“Come on, you guys are so much closer than I had thought!” he groaned. “I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I can see that you guys are really close. I can see you guys being more than best friends someday, just like Riku and me.”

“Seriously?” I frowned, folding one ear back. “I don’t even know if Neku likes guys or girls. He’s never expressed interest in anyone.”

“Because **you’re** around! He’s interested in you!” my cousin yelled, flailing his arms as his ears flattened out to the sides.

“Sora, are you sure you’re not on some new kind of medication?” I inquired. “Because that’s crazy talk.”

“Aww, come on. You know it’s true. He may not realize it, but Neku does like you,” he smirked, his tail waving. I rolled my eyes, ceasing the conversation because we were home. I opened the door, and Axel’s voice called out to us.

“You boys hungry?”

“Of course!” Sora answered back, a grin on his face.

“Whatcha making, Axel?” I asked as we walked into the kitchen after leaving our shoes in the hall closet.

“We’re doing tacos tonight,” he answered as I grabbed plates.

“Sweet! Sounds delicious,” I smiled.

“Good to know. I almost cut myself chopping up the tomatoes and such,” Uncle Leon told me.

“I would certainly hope you didn’t,” I laughed lightly. “After all, you’re used to working with big blades.”

“Not small ones, though!” Sora chimed in, laughing. His father swatted him over the head lightly, drawing a yelp from my cousin.

“Be nice to your dad,” he smirked. Sora pouted, but then perked up when Axel said we could dish ourselves up.

“Yay! Tacos!” he chirped, and then quickly made himself three tacos, topping them with cheese, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and olives, and then grabbed some chips and salsa. I let Uncle Leon go next, and he just made two, topping them the same way Sora had and grabbing some chips and salsa as well. Axel made me go next, and I made two, topping them with cheese, sour cream, and taco sauce. I grabbed a handful of chips and a small cup of homemade salsa, and then went to the table and sat down to eat. Once Axel had sat down with us, I began to eat, thanking the redhead and my uncle for dinner beforehand.

“So, Sora, what do you think of Neku?” my godfather asked, and I tensed briefly, hoping to whatever higher powers there were that my cousin didn’t say anything about his theory earlier.

“He’s really cool! I told him about Riku, and he was perfectly accepting! He says as long as we’re happy, then that’s what matters,” Sora replied after swallowing a bite of taco, grinning.

“Good to know,” Uncle Leon nodded. “I’m glad he approves. Does he know about Cloud and Zack, Roxas?”

“Yeah, he knows. He said the same thing when I told him,” I said.

“Does he know about…?” Axel asked suddenly, trailing off, and I knew what he meant.

“No, I haven’t told him. When I told him about Cloud and Zack, I thought it would have been too much to add that I’m capable of the same,” I sighed.

“That’s fine, I just think he deserves to know someday,” the redhead told me, and I nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll tell him when the time is right,” I murmured. We finished dinner while conversing about Sora and Uncle Leon’s time in Hollow Bastion since I last saw them, and then we all went to bed. Once Sora was under the covers in the top bunk, and I was under my covers in the bottom bunk, I said, “Hey Sor?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“…? For what?” he asked.

“For not saying anything about Neku possibly being interested in me around Uncle Leon and Axel,” I murmured.

“Oh. Well, I don’t want Dad to act all protective of you. He does that with me sometimes still.”

“Still, thank you…”

“No problem, Roxy,” he chirped, a smile in his voice. “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll hang out more with Neku tomorrow.”

“Right… Goodnight, Sora.”

“Goodnight, Roxas.”

 

X*X(Monday Morning)X*X

X*X(Neku’s POV)X*X

I woke up Monday morning feeling refreshed, and I looked over to where Taiyo had been to see the little guy was curled up there on my pillow, same as usual. Reaching out, I gently ran my fingers along his head, and he woke up, looking at me with a sleepy gaze. The small tabby yawned widely, and I chuckled.

“Still sleepy, huh?” I smiled, flicking my ears once. “I know how you feel, pal, but we need to go see if anyone’s up yet.” Sighing, I sat up, and then pulled the blanket off of me before sliding out of bed, pulling on my usual shorts, and padding to the bathroom to relieve myself for the morning. When I finished, I went back to my room and changed into my same shirt I usually wear, and slipped on a pair of socks and my headphones around my neck as I looked at my alarm clock to see it was only eight in the morning. Taiyo followed me out of my room, and I went down to the kitchen, where Aunt Shiki was nibbling on some crackers. She looked up in surprise when I walked in, her brown ears flicking once as her grip on her old stuffed cat, Mr. Mew, tightened slightly.

“Good morning, Aunt Shiki,” I smiled. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, just a bit of morning sickness, so I’m munching on crackers to calm my stomach down,” she admitted. “Don’t worry too much.”

“I can fix you some cream of wheat if you want,” I offered. “It settles my stomach when I’m not feeling great.”

“That would be nice,” she smiled.

“No problem,” I nodded. “I’ll get started on that now.” I grabbed a large pan from the drawer under the oven, and then pulled out the box of cream of wheat from the cabinet and a gallon of milk from the fridge. Once I’d measured out a good amount for all of us, I mixed it together in the pan and turned on the burner, stirring as it became warmer so the milk didn’t stick to the bottom and burn. As it became thicker, I heard Uncle Beat and Aunt Shiki’s room door open, and I smirked. I had had a feeling he would wake up to the smell of cream of wheat, seeing as it had a pleasantly warm scent to it. Soon after, Aunt Rhyme’s door opened as well, and then I heard the siblings chat with each other as they walked down the stairs to the main level.

“Good morning, Uncle Beat. Good morning, Aunt Rhyme,” I smiled as the pair entered the kitchen. “I’m just making some cream of wheat for everyone for breakfast.”

“Nice. Thanks, yo,” my uncle grinned, patting my shoulder.

“Yeah, thank you, Neku,” Aunt Rhyme added.

“Is Josh up yet?” I asked her, and she shook her head.

“I didn’t hear anything when I got up,” she answered.

“He must be tired from working all week,” I guessed.

“No surprise there. He always tells us they’re either really busy or really slow over there, and that there’s no in between,” Aunt Shiki chimed in.

“True,” I nodded. At least he hadn’t told them something different. That story was true, as probably half of the customers that went there stopped by for some morning coffee before work. “We’ll let him sleep, then.”

“Sounds good,” Aunt Rhyme agreed. There was a mew from her feet, and we looked to see Taiyo rubbing himself against her ankles, begging for attention. She giggled, and bent down to pet him. “So this is Taiyo, right?”

“Yeah, he’s a clinger,” I laughed lightly. “He’s probably hungry for some breakfast of his own.”

“I can feed him while you cook, Neku,” she offered.

“That would be great. He gets a quarter of a cup of his dry food, which is in that cabinet,” I said, pointing my tail at the cabinet next to the fridge.

“All right, let’s get you some breakfast, okay?” she smiled at the tabby, and he meowed happily.

“He’s so cute!” Aunt Shiki squealed. “How old is he now?”

“Five months,” I answered while Aunt Rhyme poured his food into his bowl. “He was pretty small when Josh brought him home, so I think he was a runt.”

“Still adorable,” the brunette insisted.

“Of course. I love this little guy,” I chuckled, reaching over and rubbing his soft little head as he ate. He purred happily at my touch, but I had to withdraw my hand because of the cream of wheat thickening to its appropriate consistency. As Aunt Shiki pulled out some bowls for us all, and Aunt Rhyme pulled out butter and brown sugar. Suddenly, I heard Joshua’s door open, and I smirked. “Good morning, Josh,” I called.

“Morning,” he answered back groggily from the top of the stairs. The silverette yawned as he made his way down to the kitchen, and then smiled when he saw I had made cream of wheat. “Someone’s not feeling good?”

“Aunt Shiki got sick this morning, so I offered to make some,” I replied, starting to dish out some into the bowls. Aunt Shiki accepted the offered bowl gratefully, and mixed in some brown sugar into hers. Each of us got our bowls of cream of wheat, adding either brown sugar or butter or both, and then we sat at the table to eat. As we ate, I could visibly see Aunt Shiki look like she was feeling better.

“Are you feeling better, Shiki?” Uncle Beat asked before I could.

“Yes, this is really helping my stomach,” she smiled. “Thank you, Neku. I’ll have to do this when we go home.”

“No problem, Aunt Shiki,” I nodded. “Joshua used to make it for me when I was a kid if I had an upset stomach.”

“Did he ever burn it?” she giggled.

“Nah, back then he was better at cooking,” I snickered.

“I can still cook!” said silverette protested.

“You get too distracted with the cat nowadays,” I smirked.

“Whatever,” Joshua huffed. We ate the rest of our breakfast in a comfortable silence, and then I got up when I was finished and began to clean up from breakfast. I took the empty bowls from my family, and then rinsed them in the sink before sticking them in the dishwasher.

“Thanks for breakfast, Neku,” Aunt Rhyme said as she came into the kitchen.

“Yeah, of course,” I replied. “Cream of wheat is easy to make, it just takes some patience.”

“Seems like it,” she murmured, appearing thoughtful.

“Is something on your mind?” I asked.

“Hmm? Oh, no, nothing’s on my mind,” she shrugged, but I could tell she was lying.

“Aunt Rhyme, it’s okay, you know. Just talk to me,” I told her. “I don’t like being lied to, after all.”

“You’re just like your mother sometimes, you know that?” she sighed. “All right, I just think that this conversation should be more in private, like in your room.”

“Um, okay. I guess,” I agreed, and we went to my room. Once the door was shut, I sat on my bed while the shorter blonde sat on my desk chair. “So, what’s up, Aunt Rhyme?”

“Okay, well, I know this might sound weird to you, but… How do you feel about Roxas?” she asked.

“He’s my best friend, and I can’t imagine not having him as my friend,” I answered. “Why?”

“You guys seem a lot closer than just friends,” she remarked. “Just watching you guys as you interacted over the weekend, and based off of what Joshua has told us, I feel like you guys are closer than best friends.” I realized what she meant, and I gaped at her.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” I yelped, flailing my hands. “No, we’re just really good friends! I’m not even bi or gay, Aunt Rhyme. Trust me, I haven’t even thought of Roxas that way.”

“Well, just in case, I approve,” she giggled, making me blush crimson.

“What brought this on?” I inquired with a frown as I hid my red face with my shirt’s high collar.

“I just have a feeling you guys like each other more than you let on,” she smiled.

“Because we’re such great friends…?” I guessed, quirking a brow.

“Because you two are so close. Neku, I’ve never seen you become this close with anyone in such a short time other than your own family,” she explained. At that, I became quiet, realizing she was right. “Looks like you’re recognizing it. I’ll leave you be for now, but don’t isolate yourself, okay?” Aunt Rhyme got up, and then left my room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Once she was gone, I was left to sit there and think long and hard about my relationship with Roxas. Do I really like him in that way…? I mean, sure, we’re best friends, and we did bond pretty quickly, but that doesn’t mean I like Roxas as more than a friend. Does it? My gaze drifted down to my sapphire blue blanket, which matched Roxas’s eyes. He’s always good to me, even when I’m having a bad day. I take care of him, and protect him when needed. Our home lives are similar in a way, as neither of us have our parents, and we just get along so well that it’s sometimes strange, even to me. Maybe I do like him as more than a friend… Sighing heavily, I felt I would need some time to come to terms with this revelation.


	5. Chapter 5

X*X(1 Week Into Break, 3 Days Before Christmas Eve)X*X

X*X(Roxas’s POV)X*X

It had been a week since our Christmas break had begun, and I’d hardly seen Neku that much. Then again, Sora wasn’t helping my mood much, and I really didn’t want to take it out on my best friend, so it was kind of a blessing. My crazy-ass cousin kept on insisting that I was attracted to Neku, and he and I had been alone at the house more often than not because of Axel and Uncle Leon going Christmas shopping during this past week. I continued to deny it, and I was starting to get pissed. Neku was just my best friend! Even if we did like each other in that way, he’d probably drop me like a hot potato if I told him about my bearing ability…

“Thinking about your attraction to Neku again?” Sora’s teasing voice broke through my thoughts, and I jumped, a little startled by his sudden presence as I hadn’t heard him come into my room. I glared at him, rather irritated by his assumption, but he was unaffected.

“No. Now will you stop nagging me about that?” I growled, my ears flattening.

“Why? I can’t until you admit you like him in that way,” the brunette shrugged.

“Sora, for the last damn time, he’s just my best friend!” I snapped.

“Then why were you able to tell him about your parents, but you never told Hayner and the others about them? You trust him so much, and you guys became really close really fast,” he pointed out. “I’ve never seen you become so close with anyone else, not even me. I didn’t even know some of the stuff about your parents that you told Neku, and Dad was Uncle Zack’s brother. You continue to deny it, but it’s obvious to me, and probably to anyone else who knows you well and is looking in, that you love Neku, and he loves you.” I stiffened at his words for several long moments, and my gaze became unfocused as I stared at the floor. Sora’s expression became soft, and he said quietly, “I’ll leave you to your thoughts.”

Once the door was shut, I felt the realization hit me that Sora had been right this whole time. At least, about me loving him. I still doubted the part about Neku loving me, but otherwise he was right. Neku was more than a best friend to me, he was someone special. My cousin was right; I hadn’t even told Hayner, Pence, and Olette about my parents, and there were some things about my parents I hadn’t told Sora that I told Neku, such as their work and how they died. No one but Uncle Leon, Axel, and I knew about that before moving here.

“How am I gonna tell him, though…?” I groaned, holding my head in my hands.

 

X*X(Meanwhile, Neku’s POV)X*X

“Dammit, how am I gonna tell him?” I grumbled, feeling the beginning of a headache form. I rubbed at my temples in frustration as my ears folded back. There was a soft knock at my bedroom door, and I sighed. “Come on in, Josh,” I called, knowing it was him, considering the other three were out shopping. He came in quietly, shutting the door behind him before sitting beside me on my bed, but I didn’t look up. “What’s up, Josh?”

“This is really eating at you, isn’t it?” he asked instead. I sighed again, still not looking at him.

“It’s that obvious?” I mumbled.

“You’re not exactly making an effort to hide it,” he replied. My brother placed a hand on my back as he said, “Look, Neku, if you really do like Roxas like that, you need to tell him before you spiral too deep into depression. This isn’t healthy, to coop yourself up in your room just to torment yourself with these thoughts.”

“It’s easier said than done,” I muttered. “I don’t know how to tell him…”

“You just tell him, that’s all there is to it,” Joshua said.

“Again, it’s not that simple,” I repeated. “I want to tell him, but I want it to be special…”

“Then tell him on Christmas. I can’t think of anything more special than that that’ll be soon,” he suggested. I perked up at that, possibilities running through my mind.

“That’s perfect! Thanks, Josh,” I told him with a smile.

"You're welcome," he chuckled. "Better get to work on whatever you come up with, though. You only have three days until Christmas, after all."

"True," I nodded, and then Taiyo came over and mewed at me happily by my feet.

"Seems Taiyo missed you being happy like this," the silverette giggled.

"Sorry, pal," I murmured to the little orange kitten, stroking his head gently. He purred at the touch, and I chuckled. "Maybe you'll be able to help me, actually, Taiyo."

"What do you mean?" Joshua asked.

"I've got an idea, and it should work, considering Taiyo adores Roxas," I smirked, and then shared my idea with him.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," my brother nodded in approval. "I'd say go for it. After all, you have your allowance money stashed in here somewhere. I'm sure whatever you have will be plenty for it."

"It should be," I agreed. "Well, I'd better go and look now, or else I'll probably lose my chance."

"Good thinking. Do you want a ride over? I don't want you walking in the dark, after all. It'll be night by the time you get home if you walk," he offered.

"Sure, that would probably be best," I said.

"Then I'll go start the car. Come on down once you have your wallet and money, okay?" he told me, and I nodded as he turned to leave. Once the door shut, I quickly got up and headed over to my small hidden stash of money I'd built up over the years, which was hidden in an old lockbox in one of the drawers of my desk. Not sure how much I would need, I just pulled all of it out and quickly organized the small stack before shoving it into my wallet. Once that was taken care of, I grabbed my phone and ran downstairs to pull on my shoes before bolting out to the garage, where Joshua was waiting in the car, the garage door open. I quickly slid into the passenger seat, and then my brother backed out, closing the garage door as we left. As we drove, I looked over at Joshua, starting to become doubtful.

"Do you really think he'll understand how much I love him if I do this?" I asked quietly.

"Neku, I know you know this will work. I'll be shocked if he doesn't feel the same," he replied firmly. "Try not to over think this too much, okay?"

"I'll try..." I sighed. As we drove, I couldn't help but think about the blonde, and how I missed seeing him. After all, it had been a week since we'd hung out. I just hoped he wasn't mad at me...

 

X*X(Christmas Eve)X*X

X*X(Roxas's POV)X*X

"Have you heard from Neku recently?" Sora asked me suddenly as we played one of my video games. I paused so I could tell him about the text I'd gotten from the ginger, and got up, grabbing my phone wordlessly. "Roxas?"

"He texted me yesterday, asking if I could come over tomorrow. When I asked him why, he replied back saying he couldn't tell me yet," I told him, my brows furrowed. Sora frowned, but then he smiled.

"I'm sure it's nothing bad, Roxy," he assured me. "After all, you've been staying in your room, brooding like a hormonal girl."

"And you would know that analogy, how?" I questioned, quirking a brow at him.

"Kairi," was all he said, and I nodded in understanding.

"Anyway, I'm just kinda worried. We haven't seen each other in over a week, so I'm just hoping he's not mad at me..." I admitted, lowering my gaze.

"I highly doubt that," Sora snorted. "He doesn't seem like that kind of guy, Roxas."

"Hell, you never know..." I mumbled.

"Roxas..." he growled warningly. "Stop being pessimistic. It's going to be fine. Do you want to tell Dad and Axel about going over tomorrow, or do you want me to?"

"I'll tell them," I replied. "It's probably best."

"True," he agreed. Suddenly, my phone's text tone for Neku went off, and I looked at my phone. Checking the message, I smiled when I saw the apology for not visiting.

'I'm really sorry for not coming over sooner, Rox. I've been in a bit of a slump, but I'll explain tomorrow, I promise,' he'd texted me.

"Sounds like he's been suffering like you have," my cousin said, sitting back down after reading the text over my shoulder.

"I guess I'll find out for sure tomorrow," I sighed, but a small smile formed on my face nonetheless. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Axel's voice sounded from the kitchen a minute later.

"Boys, pizza's here!" he called.

"Coming!" we yelled back, and then ran downstairs to get dinner. As we ate in the living room, Sora caught my eye, and I remembered Neku's text from yesterday.

"Hey Axel? Uncle Leon?" I said after swallowing a bite of pepperoni pizza. They perked up, their ears twitching a little as they looked at me expectantly. "Neku texted me yesterday, and he asked if I could come over to his house tomorrow... Would that be okay?"

"Of course, Rox," Axel smiled as Uncle Leon nodded. "We'll do presents first, though, okay?"

"Absolutely! Thanks, Axel, Uncle Leon," I grinned. The rest of the evening went by uneventfully, and once Sora and I went to bed, I knocked right out, despite my excitement for tomorrow.

 

X*X(Christmas Morning)X*X

X*X(Neku's POV)X*X

When I woke up on Christmas morning, it was to Taiyo sitting on my chest, sniffing my face. With a soft laugh, I slowly sat up, allowing the small kitten to move to my lap.

"Merry Christmas, Taiyo," I smiled. "Let's go see if anyone else is up yet." He meowed cheerfully, and then hopped onto the floor as I shifted to get my slippers on. Once they were on, I grabbed my phone and pocketed it before picking up Taiyo and heading out to the hallway. Quietly, I listened for any noise from the bedrooms, and then I heard voices from the kitchen. Smiling, I made my way downstairs, where I found Joshua, Aunt Shiki, Uncle Beat, and Aunt Rhyme in the kitchen, all of them but Aunt Shiki nursing a mug of coffee. Instead, she had a cup of decaf green tea, and by the scent of it, she had put a lot of honey in it. They perked up when I walked in, my tail waving happily. "Merry Christmas, guys."

"Merry Christmas, Neku," Joshua replied with a smile.

"Merry Christmas, yo!" Beat grinned, ruffling my hair and ears. I yelped, alarmed by the sudden action. Ducking away from his hand, I shook my head to try and fix my hair a bit.

"Merry Christmas, Neku," Aunt Shiki and Aunt Rhyme giggled.

"All right, now that we're all awake, let's open presents!" Joshua declared.

"You're still as excited now as you were when we were kids, Josh," I snickered.

"So? I have every right to be," he huffed, sticking his tongue out at me childishly. "After all, everyone has an inner child that begs to come out on Christmas."

"And you let yours free," I teased.

"Of course!" he grinned. "Now, to the living room!" he declared, leading the way to our living room, where the tree and our presents were at. Aunt Rhyme sat closest to the tree so she could pass out presents, and we all opened each one handed to us. From Uncle Beat, I got a new case for my headphones and a new mp3. Aunt Shiki and and Aunt Rhyme both got me a new pair of purple Converse and several cool shirts and cargo shorts. As for Joshua, he got me a new, thick sketchbook with a high quality set of colored pencils and mechanical pencils to draw with, and an ASUS tablet with a detachable keyboard.

"Thanks, everyone," I told them all gratefully.

"Of course! Besides, the tablet will come in handy for when you go to college," Joshua pointed out, making me laugh. Everyone else had gotten some good stuff, too. Joshua got a nice thermos for his coffee from Aunt Rhyme, a bumper sticker that read 'I'm not addicted to coffee, we're in a committed relationship' from me, and a new, high quality coffee maker that also makes espresso drinks from Uncle Beat and Aunt Shiki. Aunt Shiki got a few maternity outfits from Aunt Rhyme, a silver necklace with a heart-shaped pendant that had a ruby set in the center from Uncle Beat, and Joshua and I got her a variety of small baby supplies, such as pacifiers, bottles, a few stuffed animals, a blanket, a small warning sign for her minivan that read 'Baby on Board', and a few others things. She laughed, but she was truly grateful. Aunt Rhyme got a new skateboard with dragonflies on it from me, as I knew about her favorite sport, a white beanie with a black skull on the front from Joshua, and a gift card for a spa back home from Uncle Beat and Aunt Shiki. As for Uncle Beat, I got him a new skateboard as well, this one with an ocean wave on a black background on it, a red beanie with a black panther on the front from Joshua, and three tickets for one of his favorite comedians from Aunt Shiki and Aunt Rhyme so the three of them could see the show when they got back home.

"This is AWESOME, yo!" he shouted as he waved the tickets around, startling Taiyo from the arm of the couch to my lap. "I can't wait for it!"

"Well, you'll have to wait until we get home, Beat. You've got a couple of weeks," Aunt Shiki giggled.

"Awww..." he whined, pouting.

"Who wants scones?" Joshua asked suddenly, getting antsy. "I'm starving!"

"All right, I can take a hint," I laughed, getting up. Taiyo followed me to the kitchen, where he jumped up and sat on the oak counter above the kitchen counter. I pulled out the two cookie sheets with the thawed dough balls we'd bought last week from the fridge, and saw they had risen well, so they were ready to be fried. I got the canola oil and a large electric skillet out from the closet in the hall leading to the living room, and then plugged in the skillet once I poured a decent amount of oil into it. While it was heating up, I pulled out the maple syrup, powdered sugar, honey, seedless strawberry jam, and butter, and placed them on the dining room table. I checked the oil's temperature after setting up plates and silverware at the table, and saw it was hot enough. Grabbing the first ball of dough, I stretched it out some, and then carefully put it in the hot oil. Immediately, the dough began to fry, and I nodded in satisfaction. Quickly, I stretched out five more, adding them to the skillet as well, and while waiting to flip them, I got out the milk and orange juice, as well as five tall glasses, placing one at each spot at the table. Soon, I flipped the scones, and once the first set was done, I grabbed a platter and lined it with paper towels and put the scones on it.

"Guys, first batch is ready!" I called, and suddenly, Joshua came running in, snagging the platter from me and then sitting in his spot at the table. I blinked, taken aback by the speed my brother had used just to get the scones. ' _Shit, he must have cracked into the candy in his stocking already..._ ' I realized with a sigh. "Josh, don't forget to get something to drink other than coffee."

"Fiiiine," he grumbled, and then poured himself a glass of orange juice. As soon as the bottle was set back on the table, Uncle Beat walked in, and glared at Joshua for taking the entire first batch of scones.

"Don't worry, Uncle Beat, I've got another batch coming. Besides, I highly doubt he'll eat all six," I chuckled.

"You underestimate my skills!" the silverette declared with a mouthful of scone.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," I growled, thocking him on the back of his head with a wooden spoon. He whined pitifully, rubbing the sore spot as he continued to eat. Rolling my eyes, I returned to the kitchen to flip the second batch of scones. Once it was ready, Aunt Shiki and Aunt Rhyme had joined Uncle Beat at the table, and I passed each of them two scones onto their plates.

"Thanks, Neku," Aunt Shiki smiled. "Not even your dad could make them this well."

"Really?" I asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yeah, and he learned from a pastry chef," Aunt Rhyme giggled. I laughed lightly, pleased that I had bested my dad at something, even though he was gone. I continued to make scones until all the dough had been used, and once they were all cooked, I finally took my spot at the table, spreading some butter on my trio of scones, followed with some syrup and powdered sugar. There were still two scones left on the platter I'd brought with me, but I knew Joshua wasn't gonna dare to touch them. As I watched, he seemed to literally just droop until his head was resting on the table. And he still had one untouched scone left. Uncle Beat smirked, and snagged the scone with his fork without a word of protest from my brother.

"Seems someone bit off more than they could chew, eh Josh?" I teased.

"Shut up," he muttered with a groan. "Too full..."

"Serves you right, yo!" Uncle Beat laughed. "That's why you shouldn't have taken the first batch!" My aunts laughed as well, and I just smiled around my mouthful of scone as I grabbed the last two. After breakfast, I checked my phone to see the time, and realized I still needed to get ready for Roxas to come over for my confession and his gift. Uncle Beat, Aunt Shiki, and Aunt Rhyme offered to clean up, seeing as I had cooked, and told me to get ready. They knew of my plan, and they promised to behave and go with it. Taiyo followed me up to my room, where I dug out my best friend's gift from my bedside table drawer. Looking at Taiyo, I tied the small box securely to his collar.

"Now, this is very important, Taiyo, so please do this for me," I said firmly as he gazed at me, curiosity and interest glittering in his eyes. "When I give a quick whistle, come in here, okay? Before that, don't let Roxas see you." He mewed once, seeming to understand, and then he trotted out of my room, heading for his old room. "Now to get dressed and let him know to come over," I murmured to myself. Quickly, I got dressed in one of the new sets of clothes I'd received, which consisted of a pair of black cargo shorts with white streaks patterned on them, and a midnight blue sleeveless shirt with silver flames along the bottom. Once dressed, I sent a quick text to Roxas.

'Hey, are you able to come over now? We've finished presents and breakfast here,' I typed out, and then sent it. Shortly after, my phone buzzed on my desk. Checking the message, I saw he'd responded.

'Same here! I'll be right over,' he had replied. At that, my nerves hit me full force, and I began to panic. What if he doesn't like me back like that? What if he doesn't want to be friends anymore? I don't know what I'd do if I lost him… Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door, so I bolted downstairs to answer it. I opened the door, and saw Roxas, a smile on his face.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hey,” I smiled back, and motioned for him to come inside. With a chuckle, the blonde came in, and he took off his shoes before following me up to my room. “How have you been?” I asked as I closed my bedroom door almost all the way, leaving enough room for Taiyo to come in when it was time.

“I’ve been good, just being driven nuts by Sora,” he shrugged, but the motion seemed almost…nervous. “How about you?”

“I’ve been okay, just have been struggling with some things,” I admitted. “Actually, Roxas, that’s why I asked you to come over.”

“What do you mean?” he frowned worriedly as he sat on my bed.

“Roxas…” I began, swallowing nervously as I stood in front of him, the end of my tail twitching anxiously and my ears folded back. “We’ve been best friends for at least a few months now, and I’ve honestly never bonded so well with anyone before unless they were family…until now. You’re unlike anyone I’ve ever met. You’ve been so nice to me, despite how I was with you when we met, and you always manage to cheer me up when I’m down. You’re someone special to me, and no one could ever replace you.” Taking a deep breath, I said, “What I’m trying to say, Roxas, is that I love you.” Before he could react, however, I gave a low whistle, and Taiyo trotted into my room, the small gift still tied to his collar. The orange tabby kitten hopped onto my bed next to Roxas, and mewed at him before showing him the little box tied to his collar. The blonde looked at the box, then me, and at the box again before carefully untying it from the collar and opening it. When he pulled out the dark, velvet-covered box, his sapphire eyes flicked up at me briefly before he focused back on the box. Opening it, Roxas gasped, surprised, when he saw what was inside.

I had gotten Roxas a silver heart-shaped pendant on a thin silver rope chain. The pendant was a medium-sized one, with a lining of tiny sapphires around the outside of the heart, and a small diamond hanging in the center of the inside of it. Tears began to form in my friend’s eyes, and he carefully pulled out the necklace to examine it closer. When he saw how the diamond moved inside the heart, his eyes widened in shock.

“Neku…you got me a diamond in rhythm pendant…?” he breathed, awed by it.

“Yeah, it was the best fit for us, considering your birthday’s in September, and mine’s in April, and your eyes are blue, so I thought—” I was cut off when he suddenly jumped up and hugged me tightly. After a couple of seconds, I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him back just as tightly.

“It’s beautiful, Neku,” he whispered.

“I’m glad you like it,” I murmured. He pulled away to look at me properly.

“I don’t like it, I love it,” he corrected me. “Almost as much as I love you.” My eyes widened in response when what he’d just said registered.

“Y…you mean that, Roxas?” I breathed.

“Of course I do, Neku. To be honest, it took some persistence out of Sora to help me realize it, though,” he admitted, blushing lightly out of embarrassment.

“Hey, Aunt Rhyme was the one who helped me to realize it,” I told him, rubbing the back of my neck a bit. “I’m glad you love your gift, though.”

“Of course! How could I not?” he laughed.

“I don’t know, I guess I was just nervous,” I sighed. “If you hadn’t liked it at all, I don’t know what I would’ve—” He cut me off again, but this time with a kiss. Surprised, I didn’t react immediately, but when the blonde started to pull back, I quickly held him closer and kissed him back. It felt so good to kiss Roxas, and so **right**. I’d never kissed anyone before, so it was definitely a new experience. But all in all, it was amazing, like seeing fireworks. When we pulled away, I could see the happiness in Roxas’s eyes, and I felt just as happy.

“This is the best Christmas ever,” he murmured, leaning against me.

“Same for me, Rox,” I chuckled, tightening my grip on him slightly. Suddenly, Taiyo jumped off my bed and ran at the door, hissing, and I heard my brother yelp from outside of it. “Dammit, Josh! You know better than to eavesdrop!” I yelled at him, letting go of Roxas and storming over to the door.

“But I couldn’t help it! I wanted to know how it went!” he whined as I yanked it open.

“I don’t care! You’re lucky that it’s Christmas, or I’d have kicked your ass!” I snapped, my ears folding back.

“Hey, I got my answer, so I’m happy! Merry Christmas!” he grinned, and then took off running downstairs.

“Oh my gods…” I groaned as he ran. “I hope he didn’t eat all of his candy from his stocking, or I’m fucked today… Then again, so is his stomach if that’s the case.” Roxas burst into laughter at my words, and I gave him a weird look as I shut my door and locked it.

“What? It was funny! I never thought Joshua could get that hyper!” he laughed, falling back on my bed.

“Any holiday that involves candy, and he gets like that. Halloween is probably the worst…” I shrugged with a sigh. When the blonde gave me a questioning look, I explained. “He’ll either buy himself a giant bag or two of candy and attempt to eat it in a few days, or he’ll actually try and go trick-or-treating like the kids… It depends on how he’s feeling his load will turn out.” This made him break out into another peal of laughter.

“That’s too…funny! He’s almost as bad…as Sora, if not worse!” he gasped out between laughs. Quirking a brow at him, I watched as he sat up once he’d caught his breath, waiting for him to explain. “Sora’s always eager for Halloween, and he attempts to eat as much candy as he possibly can in one night. He ends up puking the next day.”

“Hah! That’s what usually happens to Josh!” I laughed. I moved to sit beside my new boyfriend, and once I was seated, he kissed me again. I kissed back eagerly, just wanting to be close to him. Then Roxas’s phone started to ring, and he pulled away with a grumble, his ears going back.

“That’s Axel… He’s probably wondering what’s going on…” he sighed. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and answered it. “Hey Axel, what’s up? …No, everything’s fine, I’m just hanging out with Neku…wha? Wait, Joshua called you?” I groaned at that. If Joshua called, then he probably sounded like an idiot… I held my hand out, motioning to Roxas to give me the phone. “Hang on, Neku wants to talk.” He passed me his phone, and I put it on speaker.

“Hi Axel, it’s me, Neku.”

“Hey Neku, what’s up?”

“Nothing much, but I wanted to tell you something.”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“My brother gets incredibly hyper on ANY holiday involving candy,” I told him, and there was a brief pause before he started laughing.

“He’s just like Sora, then!” he cackled. “Don’t worry, I understood the message, despite how fast he was talking. Congrats, guys.”

“DAMMIT!!” I yelled, glaring at the floor. “Josh, I’m gonna hang you out in the backyard by your tail!!” I shouted downstairs. All that was heard in reply was a hyperactive giggle.

“I haven’t told the other two, so I’ll let Roxas tell ‘em,” he assured me. “Better get home soon, though, Rox, or else Sora’s gonna figure it out.”

“Gah, I’d better go, then!” the blonde neko exclaimed. Snagging up his phone, he said into it, “Axel, I’m getting ready to leave now, so keep Sora somewhat calm!”

“No promises,” he chuckled, and then hung up. Roxas leaned down and kissed me, smiling as we parted.

“I’ll come by tomorrow, that’s for sure,” he promised.

“Then it’s a date, but we should probably go somewhere other than here,” I smirked.

“Good point,” he agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, and thank you so much for the necklace. Merry Christmas, Neku. I love you.”

“Merry Christmas, Rox. I love you, too,” I smiled, kissing him one last time. “Better get moving.”

“Trying to get rid of me?” he teased.

“Never. I just don’t want Sora to figure it out before you tell him,” I chuckled. “I’ll head down with you. I have a certain brother to skin and hang in the backyard.”

“Don’t be too mean, Neku,” he chided with a smile.

“Can’t promise anything there,” I laughed as we started to head down. He laughed as well, and then we reached the front door. “See you tomorrow, Roxas.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” he smiled, and then slipped on his shoes and headed off to his house. Once the door was closed, I growled.

“JOSHUA!!” I shouted, and then I heard him squeak in alarm before trying to bolt to his room. “Oh, no you don’t!” I quickly jumped onto his back as he scrambled to the stairs, trapping him on the carpeted floor. “Hah! Gotcha!” I grinned viciously. “Now you’re gonna pay!” I immediately began to tickle the shit out of my brother, who burst into a fit of giggles.

“Mercy, MERCY!!” he cried out after a minute.

“Nuh-uh! You called Axel and told him!” I grinned. “Maybe you don’t deserve the rest of your uneaten candy, then?”

“AHH!!” he cried out as I got a really sensitive spot. “NOOO!!! Don’t take my candy!!”

“Gods, you’re like a two year old,” I teased. Finally, I stopped, especially as he started to look a bit sick, and I quickly got off of him so he could get to the bathroom in time. “Now you know better!” I yelled after him. Ah, yes. This Christmas has been the best Christmas, ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joshua on a candy hype made me laugh while I was writing it! XD


End file.
